


Tuck Me In And Sing Me A Lullaby

by pineneedlepants



Series: Daddy/baby AU [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Age Play, All Participants Are Over The Age Of Consent, Alpha Derek Hale, Daddy Derek, Daddy/little - Freeform, Dead Sheriff Stilinski, Derek Adores Stiles, Domestic Discipline, Good Peter Hale, Happy Family, Infantilism, M/M, Rich Derek Hale, Spanking, baby stiles, corner time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:59:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 48,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9637982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pineneedlepants/pseuds/pineneedlepants
Summary: Stiles just wants someone to love him unconditionally. Someone who could care for him, cuddle him, keep him safe and never let go. His college counselor has an idea, and Stiles is swept into a life he never knew he wanted, but got anyway.--Daddy/baby AU





	1. Chapter 1

Stiles rubs his eyes as he sits on the hallway bench. The smell of antiseptic is thick in the air, the gray and blue walls of the clinic's decor eerie, almost like it's carved out of a horror film. Everything's quiet, the only sound being his own breathing and the buzz in his ears.

The journey here had been difficult, the clinic in a remote location just thirty minutes out of town. It had taken him three separate attempts to find the right transportation, and after it started getting dark, it had been even more difficult to keep his courage with him. He almost backed out a dozen times. He didn't, in the end, but fear makes people do funny things, and Stiles was nothing if not terrified to his core.

Hysteria is bubbling just beneath his skin, ready to burst at any moment, but Stiles has a reign on it. He's going to be brave. This is just a stepping stone, just a tiny road block before he gets to a place where he wants to be. Even if he doesn't exactly know what that is.

When he finally found his way to the right place, he'd sighed in relief at the warm sight of the lobby. It had been inviting, the tiny woman behind the counter very friendly, pointing him to the right direction. He had thanked her, finding his way to the right floor, only to find it entirely empty.

He had the room number though, and when he found it, he had carefully sat down on the lonely bench resting against the wall, the slightly worn tapestry seeming more and more looming the longer he waited.

Every tiny click and tick makes him flinch, eyes darting to monitor both sides of the long corridor. He can almost taste his own fear, heart beating wildly in his chest at the prospect of some nameless, faceless, mutated creature appearing at the end of either end of the hallway, ready to tear Stiles into pieces.

His hands are shaking. One of the overhead lamp starts to blink ominously in the middle, a steady _creak creak creak_ echoing around the bare walls.

''Stilinski?''

Jumping up, Stiles turns, wide-eyed, to stare at the open doorway which he'd been sitting in front of, where a woman is standing with a kind smile.

''I'm sorry,'' the woman apologizes, ''Usually we have a lot more clients bustling around. The corridor may seem a little spooky when evening rolls around, but you're safe here sweetheart. No need to worry.''

Stiles nods slowly, hands clutching tightly at his small bag. It's where his favorite clothes are, his phone, wallet, and ID. There was a list that he got from Braeden, where it stated what was recommended to take with the first month, the trial month they called it, but Stiles didn't even own most of the things written.

''Come on then,'' she says, stepping aside to let him pass her. ''The quicker we settle things, the quicker you'll get to your new loving family. Did you bring all the necessary things?''

Stiles coughs, trying to find his voice, embarrassed that it was shaking, ''Uh, yeah. I mean, I don't own half of the things the list said so I just brought what I had.''

The woman makes a sympathetic sound and ushers him inside.

The room is a light year away from the corridor. The walls here are warm green, pictures of childish cartoon ducks and monkeys painted on top. The carpets are plush and orange, muffling any unnecessary echo. There are children's toys all across the floor, wooden blocks and legos and barbie dolls. A soft looking couch is on the side of the room, just underneath the big window, with two armchairs placed in front.

Where most doctor's offices have a doctor's own table, this one doesn't have it. 

''You can take a seat on anywhere you like. I'll have to ask you for the ID before we get started any further, but you can make yourself comfortable while you wait me to process your information.''

Stiles hands the card over quickly, and the woman, whose name he still doesn't know, gently steers him to the furniture. He goes, heart still beating hard, still not one hundred percent sure if this is what he wants. But Braeden, his dad's former deputy, his recent school counselor, suggested this and told him it was safe.

That he'd get the security, the comfort, the love he craves so much. Wouldn't have to think about scrunching up enough money for his next rent, or hitting a deadline or if he has eaten and what and when. There would always be someone home, someone cuddling him, spoiling him, being with him.

He wouldn't be lonely anymore. Not ever.

Since his father's death three years prior, he's been aware of the supernatural community, hence Braeden's confidence in him. He wouldn't have gotten this deal so quick if his father's ex deputy wouldn't have vouched for him, but she did, and now here Stiles was.

Ready to become someone's little, someone's baby boy.

''Now, Stiles, may I call you Stiles?''

He nods, watching as she sits down in front of him onto one of the chairs. He still hasn't taken his jacket off, or stopped gripping onto his bag tightly, but he's more relaxed than he was outside.

''Thank you. My name is Doctor Castillo. I've been doing this job for the past thirteen years, so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I can most certainly address any concern you have.'' She waits for him to acknowledge this, and then continues,  ''Now I know it must be difficult to make all these decisions, reading all these complex forms, but I'm here to help you out, so there's no need to stress unnecessarily.''

Stiles nods.

Dr. Castillo beams. ''Good. Alright. I'd like to let you know first that we have acquired all of your information. Your school diplomas, your college grades, your doctor's statements. We know you have ADHD, and you take medication for that. That's fine. Your new daddy or mommy will be aware of this, and make sure you get all the care you need.

''As you have been told, the first four weeks will be both _your_ trial period, as well as your new family's. If, at any point, you become uncomfortable, changed your mind or don't get along with your new family, we are here to help. After this little meeting, you will be taken to another floor to get you cleaned and changed to appropriate clothes. You'll be fed and introduced to other people in the same situation as you. You'll be able to get to know to them for awhile, and then you'll all be sleeping a night here at the facility.

''Tomorrow afternoon there will be interviews. Not for you, but the families waiting to take their littles in. All you are required to do when meeting all these people, is to be you and wonder if you'd like to go home with any of them. If you don't find anyone that you think you might like, that's fine. These things can't be rushed. You'll be allowed to stay here for as long as it takes to get you with the kind of people you think you can become comfortable with. Do you think you understand everything so far?''

Stiles nods timidly. He's a little dazed at all the information, but so far it sounds good. Really good. He's not forced to make decisions right away. That's good.

Dr. Castillo praises him, ''I'm glad to hear that. Good boy.'' 

Stiles ducks his head a little, his heart doing a painful little twist. He wants to be good, but so far he really hasn't been. Dr Castillo doesn't comment on his reaction, but continues to explain.

''So when you meet the daddy or mommy you'd like to do a trial run with, all you have to do is tell either the person you want to go home with, or the nurses monitoring the meeting. Then you'll be given your stuff that you now have with you, and you'll be given a sedative. I know, it sounds scary. But this is a precaution, as your new family will consist of werewolves. They'll take you into their community while you're asleep, and then you'll wake up in your new home.

''For that entire four weeks, you'll live your life by the rules of that family. They will continue living just as they have so far, with the addition of you. They'll be in charge of you, like parents are of their baby. They'll play with you, feed you, clean you, do their everything to care for you. You are their little precious member of the family, and you will be treated as such. You will give all autonomy of your body to your mommy or daddy. Do you think you can do that?''

Can he do that? Just give up on his rights and let these strangers be in charge of his daily decisions? Let them decide what he eats and when, how he dresses, when he sleeps. . . He just isn't sure. And that's probably why they have a trial period. Dr. Castillo seems to notice his hesitation.

''It's okay if you don't know for certain yet. That's why we have that four weeks of test driving. If you find that this wasn't for you after all, you'll be free to leave.

''There's also no need to worry you wouldn't be able to come back. When the four week period is over, you and your new parents are required to come to a check up here at the facility. This is so that if the baby doesn't want to stay in that family, they can safely leave and not be coerced into staying against their will. This is for everyone's benefit. We are aware of the parents' addresses, having checked everything was as it is supposed to be when the adoption process started on their end, and if they do not show up for the check up, we will always go and check that everything is as it should be. If there are signs of abuse or anything else dubious going on, we will immediately remove the baby from the house and quit the adoption process. That is our strict rule so everything stays consensual.''

''Wh-What if my, my new parents don't want me at the end of the month? I know I'm - difficult,'' Stiles mumbles.

Dr. Castillo places a comforting hand on his arm. ''That's alright, Stiles. Then we'll just get a new family that will love you unconditionally. You are not unlovable. There is someone out there that will be thankful to have you, every day for the rest of their lives. We will find you a home that will keep you, Stiles. You won't be abandoned, you won't live a life in solitude. I can promise you that with one hundred percent confidence.''

''Okay,'' he whispers, and Dr. Castillo smiles.

''I'm absolutely certain you'll capture the heart of many people. Now, were you explained what happens after that one month period?''

Stiles shakes his head.

''Well, if you find a mommy or a daddy that you love, a home that you're certain you'd like to stay in, then we will sign the adoption papers. Meaning you will be legally under their name. That also means that you most likely will never leave that family again. But that will be explained in more detail if that happens. For now, you'll just have to concentrate on finding a person you can feel safe with. You with me still?''

''Uh-huh,'' Stiles says.

''Good! Do you have any other questions?''

Just another dozen, Stiles thinks, but shakes his head. He's a little embarrassed to ask any, and he thinks he can just wing it. Being someone's little boy means he doesn't have to think too much of these things right? Just be himself. That's what Dr. Castillo said. To just be himself.

''Okay then,'' she says, and stands up. She's smiling, a warm, soothing smile. ''Lets get you all ready, huh?''

Nodding again, Stiles follows her out, not sure if he's ready to face his new future, but doing it anyway. 

What does he have to lose?

 

* * *

 

 

The diaper thing had been a surprise, though he thinks it shouldn't have. It's not uncomfortable though, just something new and foreign. The room where he is now is dark, and his belly is full of warm food. He hasn't eaten that well in the three years his dad has been gone, his lithe frame now mere skin and bones. Money had been a huge issue since the doctor bills his father was still paying for his mother's hospital care were still not fully paid. Stiles had had to sell the house to scrounge up enough money, and even that didn't cover all of it.

So money had been tight, and sometimes not eating helped him pay rent on his shitty apartment. The doctor that had taken all of his measurements had shaken his head, but patted him on the back and told him that he hopes to see him a lot heavier the next time they see each other.

Stiles hopes he won't disappoint.

The lights are out, but there are several night lights lit up in a row. There are thirteen adult-sized cribs in total, though five of them are empty. The high borders of the crib should feel like they are boxing him in, making him claustrophobic, but instead, he just feels oddly safe. It's a feeling he hasn't had in awhile.

He doesn't have a blanket, nor a pillow, neither of the people here do, but his jammies are soft and warm, making him toasty. The mattress isn't all that soft though, and it's hard to fall asleep. 

The guy sleeping next to him is named Roy. He had told Stiles that he had been at the facility for a little over two months, his severe anxiety at facing new and unfamiliar people making it hard for him to get to know to them. When Stiles had looked dubious at this, since the guy was talking to Stiles right that moment, Roy had just explained that he isn't afraid of other babies. Just, people who are in charge. The authorities. Still, he had seemed optimistic despite his situation, certain that he'd find his way to a home eventually.

Stiles hopes he doesn't have to stay at this place longer than he has to. He wants to belong to someone so desperately that he thinks he might lose it if he had to stay more than a week at the clinic.

There's something tight lodged into his chest, cold and immovable. It's been there for as long as he can remember, and it sucks. No amount of rubbing will ease it, and the more days pass, the heavier the weight gets.

He falls asleep at some point, thankful for the blissful unconsciousness.

 

* * *

 

It's just after their afternoon nap, when everyone is still sleepily slumbering in their cribs, when the parents bustle through the door. Stiles, just having rubbed his eyes open, turns his gaze to stare blearily to the entrance. There's a hushed murmur as the people carefully walk inside, their gazes lingering on the rows of cribs.

Some of the people in the cribs sit up, eagerly looking at the strangers entering. Stiles doesn't. He feels fuzzy from a good night's sleep, something he hasn't had in years. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like, and his body doesn't know what to do with it. So he just lies there, trying to shrug off the last of his lingering exhaustion.

 A face appears on top of his crib, and he blinks at the man. He's blonde-haired, with piercing blue eyes that Stiles finds eerily cold. Calculative, and he immediately wants to scoot away from him. The strange wolf is giving him serious stranger danger vibes, red alarms going off in every direction in his brain. 

''We'll aren't you just a sight to the sore eyes,'' the man smirks. His arms come down and try to grab at Stiles, to lift him up and away from the crib. Stiles, still feeling sluggish, though becoming more and more aware the more adrenaline bursts into his veins, scrambles weakly backwards and hits his back against the wooden frame of his crib.

The man scowls, jaw tightening. ''Oh, the baby wants to play? I can _play_ ,'' he hisses, lunging to grip at Stiles' forearms painfully. 

He cries out, pressing himself tightly against the crib, feeling the bed starting to tip over. The man is stronger though, forcing Stiles away and balancing the bed back, dragging him up.

''You're being a very bad boy,'' he grits, ''And bad boys get punished.''

Stiles wriggles effortlessly, wildly glancing around for anyone to come between. To save him. His gaze locks with another werewolf, the man's eyes flaring red when he sees what's happening. An Alpha. Good God. When the Alpha werewolf starts to power walk across the room to interfere, Stiles makes himself go limp in the creepy man's arms, his grip faltering on him.

''What do you think you're doing?''

Stiles cranes his neck to look at the red eyes. The man's voice is deceptively calm, but even Stiles, without any supernatural instincts, can sense the palpable _power_ that radiates off the wolf. The creeper man though, seems completely oblivious. He scowls at the Alpha, grip tightening painfully against Stiles' arms. It makes him whimper in pain.

''Taking a look at the baby,'' creeper dude says. The Alpha looks like he's ten seconds away from ripping the other man's throat out and says, ''You're hurting him. Let him go.''

The creeper sneers. ''We are allowed to take a closer look. It's _encouraged,_  so buzz off. This one's _mine_.''

 ''No,'' the Alpha says, ''You don't get to decide that for him. You can place your top three wishes to the nurse, but ultimately, the baby chooses whom he goes home with. And the way you're handling him, neither he, nor any of us in here are going to let you go home with _anyone_.''

 Creeper yanks Stiles out of the crib, and Stiles desperately scrambles for purchase as his legs hit the frame, feeling unsafe and off kilter. He whines, and embarrassingly enough, tears prick at his eyes as the creeper wolf holds him with too tight-grip.

''Oh he wants to be mine, alright. See? He likes me.''

''Hand him over,'' the Alpha demands, stretching his arms to scoop Stiles out of the creeper wolf's embrace. The raised voices have alerted the nurses, and two of them have begun to come around. Others are staring wide eyed at the occurrence, but apparently not wanting to come between the fight.

Since the Alpha has his arms open, Stiles starts to bend towards the safety of him. The nurses had discouraged the babies to talk on the initial meeting of the to-be parents, but Stiles can _not_ stay quiet any longer.

''Please, Alpha, help me,'' he whimpers, struggling to get out of the other wolf's arms. The Alpha's response is immediate. His fangs drop, brow creasing with the shift, and he grabs at Stiles, letting him bring his arms around his neck. The wolf growls ferociously, and when the two nurses finally grab at the creeper wolf and demand he let go, the man does. 

Stiles immediately plomps himself fully on the Alpha's arms, hiding his face against his throat. The Alpha soothes him with a low rumble that resonates deep in his chest, the strong arm's coming to embrace him tightly. It feels amazing. Stiles goes lax, giving a shuddering breath.

''Mr. Daehler. We're going to have to ask you to step outside. This is just not acceptable. We're afraid we're going to to be terminating the adoption process on your part.''

Stiles tunes the brawling out, focusing his entire being on the comforting rubs the Alpha does against his back. 

''You alright, pup?''

Snuggling closer, he nods. He hopes the Alpha never stops his ministrations. He hasn't had this kind of gentle contact in forever. The only touch he'd received was the rough hands of the people he slept with. All those one night-stands to try and dispel the loneliness, fighting against the knowledge that all those people liked him for the five minutes they had their cocks in his mouth, but after that, they preferred not to have any contact with him.

And that had hurt so much.

So this. This feels more amazing than any orgasm he's ever received. Better than any sexual contact he's had, ever.

''I'm glad,'' the Alpha says. ''Does this little pup have a name?''

Stiles hugs the man even closer. Mumbles, ''Stiles,'' against his skin.

 ''Stiles, huh? My name is Derek.''

''Derek,'' Stiles repeats, making the Alpha chuff softly.

''That's right,'' Derek says, ''What does Stiles think, you want to come with me to sit down in the quiet corner for awhile? It must've been very scary for you just now,'' he murmurs, rocking Stiles back and forth.

Nodding, Stiles thinks it might be nice. Derek is strong and gentle and cuddling the big Alpha sounds just about perfect. Especially now that he knows the wolf will protect him. Derek carries him effortlessly onto the darker corner of the room where there are bean bags and blankets throw in. Stiles saw one of the other humans here being soothed in the pits of it, and Stiles had been slightly jealous of the attention.

He wants hugs and snuggles too.

Which is what he seems to be getting now. 

Derek settles himself carefully in the middle of the bean bag pit, draping a blanket of Stiles' shoulders. It strengthens his feeling of being protected, and starts nuzzling the Alpha's collarbone in gratitude. Derek chuckles, circling Stiles' waist with his arms and gently pressing him impossibly closer.

 ''There you go,'' the Alpha murmurs. ''Easy, pup. You're alright. The bad man is not going to get to you.''

''Nn,'' Stiles mumbles. 

They stay like that for awhile, letting the hubbub of the room fall into the background. Stiles just keeps his eyes closed, inhaling the scent of Derek's detergent and deodorant. It's a clean kind of smell, soapy and nice, and Stiles really really likes it.

He has no idea how much time passes, but eventually Derek rouses him, gently nudging his temple with his nose.

''Hey pup,'' the man murmurs. ''It's time to get up.''

Stiles whines in response, not ready at all to let Derek go. The man chuckles. ''Shh. I'm not letting go, I promise. Just time for food, I'm guessing.''

As if on cue, Stiles' stomach starts to grumble. Pouting, he huffs a put upon sigh. Derek, mindful of his carriage, stands up while holding Stiles, following the crowd leaving the room. 

Stiles glances around and sees that even Roy has found someone he's talking to. It makes him smile, though it dims when he sees Daehler standing at the end of one of the corridors. The man seems to sense he's being watched, and turns just as Derek enters the dining room, disappearing from the creeper wolf's vision.

God, he hopes he never has to see that man again.

Derek, bless him, doesn't put him down but sits with Stiles still in his lap. They're served filled sandwiches, and before Stiles can get his hands on his food, Derek grabs his wrists, making him turn around in confusion.

''May I feed it to you, pup?''

Oh. Yeah, why not, Stiles thinks, and nods. The alpha carefully slices the sandwiches into tiny pieces that fit into Stiles' mouth one at a time. It's actually really nice, giving Derek reigns like this. His stubborn, independent self has apparently taken a vacation and is happy as anything to let Stiles be pampered to.

And Derek is an absolute doll. He feeds the pieces slowly, letting Stiles sip juice in between mouthfuls, praising him sweetly. It makes him squirm a little bashfully, happy to be praised but unaccustomed to the attention.

Dr. Castillo sits down on the opposite side of the two of them, giving Stiles a small wink.

''And how are we doing here?''

''Stiles is amazing,'' Derek immediately gushes. ''He's so sweet and adorable. I'm very lucky to have the fortune to care for him today.'' The Alpha rubs a hand down Stiles' spine, making him sigh happily.

Dr. Castillo nods. ''He _is_ a very sweet boy, isn't he? We're glad to have him be part of this project. He's captured many of the hearts of our own nurses.''

''I'm sure,'' Derek agrees. ''He had mine the second I saw him in Daehler's arms.''

The memory makes Stiles shudder, curling into himself. Derek notices right away, tucking Stiles' head back under his chin.

''Oh, I'm so sorry sweetheart,'' Derek apologizes. ''Daddy didn't mean to give you bad memories. Shh, easy. You're alright, pup.''

The word ' _Daddy_ ' makes Stiles' stomach swoop pleasantly. At first he thought it would make him cringe away, affiliating the word with his own deceased father, but that was not the case at all. He hadn't called his dad daddy since he was four years old, and he remembers exactly nothing of those years. 

And to go to his new home, possibly, hopefully, with this Alpha who's holding him like he's precious and valued, would mean that he'd eventually be calling him Daddy.

In a very non-kinky way too.

 ''I'm sorry,'' Dr. Castillo apologizes. She looks genuinely upset. ''We usually vet our prospective parents very carefully. I'm not sure how a person like Mr Daehler found his way to the program, but we're going to make sure he will never have access to any kind of human, pet or baby, ever again. We're ashamed that this managed to happen at all. This is supposed to be a safe haven for these littles, not a place where they will be assaulted before they even leave the premises.''

Derek shakes his head. ''Men like Daehler are great manipulators. Sooner or later he would've revealed his true self. I'm glad it happened way before he got anyone to sign the adoption papers with.''

Sighing, Dr. Castillo nods. ''That's true. Even with our noses it's hard to sometimes discern one's true emotions.'' The woman smiles when Stiles peeks at her. ''I'm glad you didn't let him take you, little one. There are better homes in your future than that of Mr. Daehlers.''

''Agreed.'' Derek shuffles a little, slotting Stiles more comfortably against his chest. Dr. Castillo smiles at this. ''And how are you, Stiles? Ready to meet other mommies and daddies? I can see you've been hogging Mister Hale for awhile, but you should get to know the others a little too.''

Staring wide-eyed at the woman, panic grips at him. He shakes his head vehemently, '' _No_.'' Just the thought of having another wolf come and separate him from the Alpha has him grip at the wolf in desperation. Attaching himself to Derek's neck like a limpet, he whispers into the Alpha's ear, _''Wannagohomewithyou.''_

 Derek, for his part, looks awed at this information. Like Stiles is offering him the secrets of the universe rather than his ADHD muddled mind and body. 

''I would absolutely adore having you, pup,'' the Alpha grins widely, soft and genuine. ''It would be an honor.'' Derek presses a small kiss against his brow. ''If it would be okay, I'd like to place my official claim on Stiles,'' Derek says to Doctor Castillo. 

''Yes,'' the woman says, ''I can see that he's made up his mind. Alright. Let's get you two situated into my office, shall we?''

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

When Stiles wakes up, he's a little disoriented at first. He yawns widely, lips smacking together as he takes in his surroundings. He's inside a dark wooden crib, the bed pressed against a wall that's painted dark green. The room is pooling in sunlight, a small breeze of the open window gently swaying a mobile that's been attached over the bed. 

Memories of last night trickle slowly back to him. He remembers Derek's reassuring bulk, the way he was tucked against his chest. Knows he signed some papers, spent some time talking to multiple people there to make sure he honestly wanted to go with the Alpha and wasn't coerced into it. He was given his bag with his stuff, though his wallet, ID and phone had disappeared to Derek's pockets.

 For safekeeping. That's what he tells himself.

 He can vividly remember the prick of the needle when they gave him the sedative, Derek shushing him softly, pressing soothing kisses against his brow.

_''It's okay, pup. Daddy will take good care of you. We're going to go home and we'll be very, very happy.''_

He hadn't know what time it had been then, the day having been hectic, but it must've been pretty late when they left the facility because that for sure is a morning sun, and not a sundown.

Shifting a little to get into a better position, he notices in his horror that he has actually wet his diaper. They had encouraged him to do so, but Stiles hadn't been comfortable with the idea of lack of bladder control and had opted for bathroom every time he needed to go. He hadn't wanted anyone to actually touch his privates or clean him, so bathroom it had been.

Now the reality is different. The diaper, now that he's aware it's full of urine, is starting to itch and it makes him feel uncomfortable. He wants it off. He grumbles, hoisting himself to his knees so that he won't sit on his soaked bottom and looks around the room.

Derek, bless his super hearing, instantly appears on the doorway, wearing a huge smile.

''Is daddy's little boy up?''

Stiles nods, giving the man a shy smile. He had forgotten how good looking Derek actually was. The man was built like a brick house, muscled shoulders and arms stretching his form fitting shirts, but his beard was soft as anything against Stiles' cheek and the man's powerful arms held him tenderly. It was a good contrast.

The Alpha lifts him up from his crib, mindful of the mobile, and then wrinkles his nose. ''Did my baby boy go potty? Good job, pup! Daddy is so proud!''

There's a changing table made for adult sized babies like Stiles on the corner, and Derek deposits him on it. ''What a full diaper you have. Have to change my little boy so he's not uncomfortable. Now, tell me honestly Stiles. Do you need me to strap you onto the table, or will you be a good boy for me?''

Stiles definitely doesn't want to be confined onto the table, so he says, ''I'll be good. I promise.''

Derek presses a soft kiss to his tummy, making Stiles squirm. ''Thank you. If you need the straps after all, don't hesitate to tell daddy. I just want what's best for you.''

Nodding, Stiles lets the Alpha undress his pajama's and take off the soaked diaper. As Derek looks for the wet wipes to wipe Stiles down, Stiles brings his fingers to his mouth, biting at the nails. The sensation of someone touching him near his crotch without the intention of sexual contact is such a foreign thing to him that it makes him really unsure.

What if he pops a boner? Are babies like him allowed to have boners? What about orgasms? Stiles isn't sure if he can go on in his life without any orgasms, ever. Pleasure comes in many forms and his dick is one of his favorites.

Tutting, Derek pries his fingers off Stiles' mouth and pops a pacifier in instead. It catches Stiles off guard and he starts sucking on the thing instinctively. ''I don't want my pup to eat his dirty fingers. If you need something you can worry with your teeth, you take your pacifier. Okay?''

Stiles nods. 

''Good boy.''

The change goes by smoothly. He focuses on looking around and not Derek's deft hands near his groin, wiping his dick and his bottom, and manages to only become half chub. Derek completely ignores this, even though he must smell the arousal. When he's done, he lifts Stiles off the table with his dry diaper and carries him one handedly to the closet.

''What clothes should we dress you with today, hm?'' The closet is full of different clothes, for both girls and boys. It seems that Derek had gone to the adoption process unsure as to what gender his little was going to be. And honestly, if Stiles had been genderfluid, this place would've been his paradise. As it is, he likes dresses sometimes, but mostly feels the most himself in pants.

''See something you like?'' Derek asks, rooting around the different array of clothes. Stiles takes a moment to study the neatly folded piles, giving an amused glance at Derek when he sees all of the clothes color coded.

His eyes zero in on a familiar logo though, on the second top shelf. He makes a sound behind his pacifier and points to it. The Alpha follows his hand and touches the pile, showing a wrong shirt.

''This one?''

He shakes his head. Derek points to another shirt. ''This one?'' Another shake. Stiles makes an impatient sound and jabs his finger towards the right one. Why can't Derek see it? It's right _there_.

''This one?'' Finally, the Alpha takes out the batman t-shirt and shows it to confirm it was it. ''This one.'' Nodding, Stiles reaches for it, goosebumps littering his skin.

''Alright, I can see my baby boy likes his comic book heroes. Daddy will get the shortalls since it's the weather forecast promised the heat to climb over seventy. Then we can go have some breakfast.''

Stiles nods, letting Derek put him down on the sturdy chair next to the big closet, taking the shirt and starting to dress himself, but Derek's hands gently prevent him.

''Daddy will dress you, okay pup? You just sit tight for a minute.''

 So Stiles does. The sun is warm against his kin, the plush cushions soft. The Alpha keeps talking as he rummages around.

''Daddy doesn't have a big pack, but we are a few. They are all going to love you, and take good care of you. Uncle Peter is especially good at making lasagna, though little boys like you won't get much of such fatty foods. I know you're a new baby, and sometimes the things daddy says or does might seem a little silly, but it's for your own good.''

 Tilting his head, Stiles looks quizzically at the Alpha. The man emerges from the depths of the clothes and gives him a warm smile. ''Your Uncle Peter used to have a human baby of his own, so I know what it's like for new babies. But don't worry, we'll get through all of it together. That's what daddies are for.''

''Uncle. . Peter? Another baby?''

Derek makes a sad face. ''Not anymore he doesn't. Now it's just him and me and couple of my betas. He does have a pet human, but you probably won't ever meet her.''

Stiles thinks about the information for a little bit, letting the Alpha manipulate his body to get him dressed into the clothes. He wonders what really happened. What he's understood from his brief encounter with the pack that tried to protect his father, is that packs tend to be pretty big in terms of people, more security in numbers. If this pack has only, maybe four or five wolves, and Peter doesn't have a baby human anymore, it means something bad happened. Hunters maybe.

It makes him sad for Derek, and then he starts to think about his own father and mother and suddenly his chest feels too tight. Tears prickle at his eyes, his face twisting with grief. The Alpha stiffens, grabbing him to his embrace and shushes him.

''Hey, pup, what's wrong?''

The first sob that rattles his chest makes Derek sit down on the sun lit chair and tuck Stiles close. And now that the waterworks have started, it suddenly seems almost impossible to keep all that sorrow inside. He hiccups, and then big blobs of tears start dripping down his flushing cheeks, and he starts crying in earnest.

Derek murmurs a soothing mantra against his ear, uncaring of the wet spot Stiles is making onto his shoulder with snot and tears and drool. He wants his dad. Wants him not to be dead, wants to tell him at least one more time that he loves him. His father would never have abandoned him, would always been there, supporting him, loving him unconditionally.

Derek might not. That's the thing with people that are not his kin. They leave Stiles the second they get wind of his loss, of his ADHD, of his annoying habits of gathering information on the most inconsequential things. The way he loves to speak because he loves the richness of words.

 He cries and cries until he's got no tears left, with Derek patiently rubbing his back as he lets it all out. He feels wrung out, like he's just been in the spin cycle of a washing machine. He guesses this meltdown was inevitable and long time coming, the ugly feelings having gathered in the pit of his stomach for such a long time without an outlet, that now that he's gotten the rock moving, he feels so much lighter.

''That's it, good boy. You can let it all out. Daddy's right here.''

''Hnng,'' Stiles manages, and Derek brings a tissue for him to blow his nose on. 

''There you go, that's it. Oh, sweetheart. It's okay,'' Derek soothes him, wiping a couple stray tears off of his cheek. ''Did daddy say something that made you feel sad? You can tell me. I'm sorry if I did. I never wanted to hurt my precious little boy.''

Shaking his head, Stiles rubs his eyes tiredly. He sighs, slumping against the Alpha. ''Alpha doesn't have a dad anymore?''

The wolf's grip tightens a fraction, and then loosens immediately. ''That's right,'' the man says, almost absently to himself, ''But I have Uncle Peter and my betas and now I have _you_ , so I'm not at all lonely.''

 Derek presses a kiss against his temple and gives him a soft look. ''Is that what this is about? You miss your past life?''

Shaking his head, Stiles whispers, ''I just miss my dad. I didn't - I didn't say I love him when he left. And then he didn't come back and - '' Fresh tears start flowing freely down his face again, his voice crumbling.

''Oh sweetheart. Sh, sh, it's okay. I'm here now and I won't ever let my sweet little boy be alone. I'll always come back home to you.''

''That's what dad said and then he didn't - ''

Derek plops the pacifier back into his mouth, Stiles having not even noticed it had dropped at some point. ''I'm your daddy now,'' the Alpha reminds him gently, ''And I will never leave, okay pup? With magic, you'll be able to stay as my sweet little boy as long as I'm alive. I promise you that. And now you also have all your aunts and uncles to play with you and love you, so there's no need to be sad.''

 Stiles takes the words to his heart and locks them there. It's only his first day at this new home and he's already being promised things he's not sure will hold at the end of the month, but if they do, he's confident that all of that will hold true if he gets to stay with Derek. And he wants to. 

So he nods, and then smiles wobbly behind his pacifier when his stomach starts to grumble and Derek chuffs out a laugh. 

''Someone is getting a little hungry. And luckily daddy has just what you need in the kitchen.''

 

The house is huge. Stiles almost doesn't believe his eyes when they get to the upper landing where he sees stairs leading downstairs. There's a wooden handrail stretching across the almost the whole span of the house. Room after room set side by side along the long corridor, a balcony at the end of the other end. He can see the living room downstairs, as well as a peek of the kitchen.

The place has big, tall windows that lets the sun swallow everything in sight. Beyond the glass Stiles can see tree after tree after tree, like he's inside a house inside a forest. It's bewildering, and Derek seems to catch his awe when he carefully treads down the stairs. 

''We live here, Peter and me. We're in the middle of a preserve, twenty minutes from the closest werewolf community. Sometimes the pack crashes here too, instead of going back to town so we needed all this space. Your room was the nursery we just were in, but my bedroom is just beside yours, so if something happens, daddy will know instantly.''

 The kitchen is bright and all steel levels. There's an adult sized high chair perched at the end of a big table that seems to take half of the kitchen floor. It's been painted pastel pink, with couple cartoon fishes attached on the front of it. It looks. . . Nice. Stiles already knows he's going to be sitting in that chair. He'd think it would be embarrassing, but he's done a lot more humiliating stuff in his life, and this hardly ranks at all.

As if on cue, Derek deposits him on the high chair, ruffling his hair as he does. ''I'll get your breakfast started.''

What he gets is no what he expects, but again, Derek is trying to treat him like a baby, because he's _supposed_ to be a baby, so he gets a plateful of mashed stuff. It tastes like meat and macaroni, so he eats it with gusto. The mushiness doesn't bother him at all. Derek doesn't do any sounds to get him to open his mouth, but he does put a bib on Stiles to prevent him from dirtying his shirt.

He's almost done with his food when the front door opens and closes and Derek raises his voice from that soothing low coo to his normal voice, greeting, ''Hi uncle Peter.''

The wolf rounds the corner, and Stiles can tell that him and Derek are related. They both are rocking a five o'clock shadow, with cheekbones that could cut diamond, and there's a tell tale of eyebrows that give them away.

''Hello nephew,'' Peter says, and then comes to sit next to Stiles. ''And who is this beautiful little boy?''

''Uncle Peter, meet Stiles. Stiles, this is your uncle.''

''Stiles, huh. A fitting name for a little bambi like you.'' The man lifts his hand, slowly coming to brush his fingers against Stiles' cheek. Scenting a new packmate. Then Peter tsks, looking at Stiles' flushed cheeks and red rimmed eyes.

''You've had him for all of twelve hours and you've already made him cry?''

The Alpha lifts his hands. ''Extenuating circumstances.''

Peter looks at him, incredulous. ''What on earth kind of circumstances must there be to get a new baby to cry?''

Derek's eyes dart to soak in Stiles' expression before they move back to his uncle. ''Loss of family.''

''Ah,'' Peter says. ''I see. Well. You lose one, you gain one.'' He rubs at Stiles' cheek gently and then takes the spoon from his nephew. ''I can feed him the rest. There's a mound of laundry downstairs that need washing.''

Derek snorts. ''Uh-huh. You can sort it out while you go feed your pet. It's in the way anyway.''

Peter gives a put upon sigh but relinquishes the spoon back to Derek. ''Fine. Be that way. See if I'll sort your socks and underwear for you when you so cruelly deny me to get to know our newest pack member.'' 

Peter stands and moves to leave the room, when Derek grins, ''Love you, Peter.''

The older wolf waves his hand. ''Love you too nephew. Even when you're a menace.''

Peter disappears, and Derek feeds rest of the food to Stiles. ''That was my uncle Peter,'' Derek tells him fondly. ''He can be pretty prickly and mean, but to pack, to you, he cares for more than anything. Don't let him fool you that he doesn't like you.''

 

The rest of the day goes by slowly, with Derek teaching him the rules of the house, and separate rules for Stiles. He says he's not a mean daddy, but some boundaries are good to be in place.

1\. Stiles is not allowed to go up and down the stairs alone. Not ever.

2\. He's not allowed to go outside without anyone supervising.

3\. If he's left alone in a room, he's not allowed to leave that room. If he wants something or needs something, he has to call for either daddy or Peter.

4\. No lying. Daddy will know immediately, and there will be consequences. 

5\. If Stiles is found to be doing something naughty, depending on the severity of the situation, he'll either get an undefined time on the corner where he has to sit quietly to wait until daddy says it's okay to leave. Or if he's done something reckless like running into traffic or disappearing from daddy in a public place, daddy will turn him over his knee and spank him.

6\. Hitting, cursing or any kind of violence is not allowed. That will end up in a punishment.

7\. Bedtime is always before 9 pm unless daddy allows it to be later. Not whining about it.

8\. Baby boys should always use their diaper to go to potty.

9\. Daddy loves his Stiles a lot. If Stiles does his best, daddy will be very proud.

 

Stiles isn't sure how he's going to be able to teach himself to just shit his pants, but he guesses he'll learn. He did it as a kid, and Derek obviously isn't going to let him use the bathroom in order to teach him to properly use his diaper, so Stiles will just have to deal. And it's not like the Alpha would let him sit in a dirty diaper for too long. They have sensitive werewolf noses.

At one point during the evening, Stiles can practically feel his bowels moving, his stomach making gurgling sounds. He flushes pink, already dreading the moment he'll feel the tell tale signs of needing to use the bathroom. He's lying on top of Derek, watching cartoons together. The Alpha of course, can hear his stomach, and his hands stop rubbing against Stiles' back.

''Does someone need to go potty?''

Hiding his face against Derek's throat, he nods. The Alpha continues his slow rubs on his back. ''It's okay, Stiles. I'm here to change you right away. Don't hold it back, just let go.''

He shakes his head. ''Can't,'' he whispers.

''Yes you can,'' Derek soothes. He sits up, hoisting Stiles onto his arms and starts to walk towards the nursery. He deposits Stiles onto the same table he did the first time, smiling at him encouragingly. ''Daddy can help you if you want to.''

Whining, Stiles scrunches his face up. ''How?''

''I can push your tummy gently to get _you_ to push, or I can go get the suppositories. Or you can try and push yourself and daddy will just clean you up.''

Seeing that he can't escape this fate, he groans. ''No medicine. Push my tummy, please.''

Derek does. It takes longer than he thinks it would, and he's ready to burst into flames from embarrassment. But in the end, the need to empty his stomach gets too intense and he feels himself fill the diaper. It stinks too, and Stiles is kind of ready crawl underneath a rock and never emerge again. The Alpha though, is ecstatic and not afraid to tell him as such.

''Such a good boy, Stiles. That's it. My brave little baby boy, daddy is so proud!''

 He gets rewarded by getting kisses all over his stomach and cheeks after Derek has cleaned him up. Peter, lured in by the excited noises, comes to the doorway to peer in.

''What's all the fuss about?''

The Alpha grins widely, carrying Stiles on one arm. ''Stiles did his first potty!''

''He did? Good job, little one,'' Peter praises, and Stiles hides his face against Derek's throat. His new family is so embarrassing.

 

He goes to potty again in the evening, and gets rewarded again. Derek gives him his first bath, which Stiles thinks is really nice. He even gets bath ducks to float around the bubbles, and the smell of the soap is really good.

He gets hard when Derek scrubs him down though, and he gets embarrassed again. He's very sensitive, especially on his inner thighs and groin area, so the Alpha's wandering hands arouse him a lot more than is appropriate. Stiles thinks it might be because he feels safe with Derek. He's never been _this_ sensitive before, so he tries to hide his erection behind his hands.

 ''Is my little boy excited?''

Stiles ducks his head, pulling his knees up to hide himself more. Derek's having none of it, clearing the foam of bubbles from around his body.

''Since my lovely baby has been so good today, daddy thought he'd reward you with nice touches. Does Stiles want daddy to give him pleasure?''

Gaping a little, Stiles thinks that if Derek gives him 'nice touches' which hopefully translates into 'orgasms', he might just spontaneously combust. He nods though.

''Alright. Just tell daddy before you come, okay?''

''Okay,'' Stiles mumbles. He has to bring his hands to cover his mouth when Derek gently pries his knees open, giving him better access.

 It's horrible and it's the most amazing hand job he's ever gotten. Derek is patient in this area too, coaxing Stiles' cock into full hardness with a slow pace. There's silky smooth lube that the Alpha takes from one of the bathroom cabinets, and the extra slide of his hand against his dick feels fantastic.

He's helpless to muffle the soft sighs and moans, his blush covering the entirety of his chest. Even his thighs have taken on a splotchy red hue, quivering against the cool porcelain borders of the tub.

Derek rubs his thumb against the head of his dick, his other hand coming to play with Stiles' balls, one finger sliding softly to touch his hole. With gentle praise, Derek guides him near his peak, expert fingers knowing exactly where to rub hard and where to barely caress. 

''Come on, Stiles, open your legs more for daddy. That's it, just like that, good boy.''

''D-Daddy, I'm close -''

Derek fastens his pace, making Stiles arch his back to meet with Derek's thrusts. Then the finger that's been gently rubbing at his opening, thrusts inside him, and Stiles barely has time to croak,

''Da- _Daddy_ , I'm gonna - ''

''Come for me, Stiles. Come for daddy,'' the Alpha urges. Stiles does.

Enthusiastically.

 

Afterwards he feels sated and loose-limbed, totally in favor of letting Derek do all the work of cleaning him, drying him and dressing him into his pull up and jammies. The Alpha has taken notice on his love for batman, and whips out a vintage looking overall jammies. Stiles falls in love with them already before he gets to experience how soft the fabric is against his skin.

Derek actually feeds him a _bottle_ just before bedtime, which Stiles thinks tastes weird against his tongue, but he drinks it anyway. He drifts a little when he's being carried around the house, and he hears Derek telling how Stiles had called him 'daddy' for the first time, and that he hopes it happens a lot more in the future.

Peter assures his nephew that of course the human baby will. Who doesn't want to fall in love with Derek? He's brilliant. Stiles silently agrees. Derek is awesome. He gives him tummy and back rubs, gives him food and bathes him, talks to him in a warm, calming voice and gives him kisses and orgasms.

When Derek puts him down for the night, into his soft crib with a yellow fleece-blanket, he reads him a bed time story. It's one of Dr. Seuss' books, which Stiles remembers vaguely reading in his high school class. Nevertheless, the Alpha's steady low voice has him blinking his eyes sleepily, ready to fall into a slumber at any second. 

Just as he's about to fall under, he feels a soft kiss given against his forehead, Derek whispering, ''I love you very much my little baby boy. Daddy will be here in the morning when you wake up. Sweet dreams.''

His last thought is that if this is how it's always going to be, Stiles isn't sure he's ever going to want to leave.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mostly deals with Stiles' emotional roller coaster. Poor baby.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

The first week at the Alpha's - No, at his _daddy's_ house, was a little tough. The abrupt change in his diet had his stomach rebelling against him, tummy grumbling and gurgling unpleasantly. Stiles had no time to worry about constipation when almost everything he ate came back liquid. 

It hurt. He had always been good at dealing headaches and scratches and broken bones, but any stomach-related pain had him writhe helplessly in agony. Daddy had to constantly change his diaper, ready at even the smallest of sounds of his bowels moving. On the third day, his pucker had inflamed a little from the constant defecating, and daddy had started putting ointment between his bottom crack. 

He was constantly tired and cranky, but tried to not show it because he didn't want to be punished. His daddy hadn't, not yet, but Peter had told Stiles stories of his past little baby boy, and how he was always up to mischief and once spent an entire day coming and going out of his time out mat.

Stiles didn't want to be put into a corner. He wanted to be adored and hugged and cuddled. He didn't want to be bad.

''Is my baby boy still having tummy aches?'' Daddy asks, and Stiles nods miserably. 

''Oh, baby,'' the man says and scoops Stiles up from his crib where he's been having his afternoon nap. It's been odd, and a little difficult to get used to his new sleeping schedule, seeing as he had barely been sleeping in college. Night after night he had pushed through essays and projects, the only company being cans and cans of Red Bull and the blue tint of his laptop screen. Though he's not supposed to think of that time. All he has to focus on is the present, and forget all those yucky big-boy thoughts.

But daddy has been patient. He's been playing soothing music, has read a book after book, rocked him back and forth in his arms, once even fallen asleep first. And Stiles is _determined_ , okay? He's going to get the hang of this new nap-time thing. 

He brings his arms to hug the Alpha's neck, and sighs. There's a grumble, and his tummy immediately starts cramping. Arching a little, he tries to ease the pain by getting pressure off of his stomach, but nothing ever works. He whines pitifully, and daddy's hand comes to press his neck to make Stiles press his face against the Alpha's throat.

''It's okay. Daddy can make it better,'' the man murmurs, and sure enough, like in the couple past days, his pain is starts to dissipate the more his daddy's arm turns black.

 He goes lax in the man's hold and revels in the feeling of the Alpha so easily carrying him around. Even just the tiniest lift of his arms on the direction of either his daddy or uncle, he's immediately scooped up into a tight embrace. He hasn't been on the floor alone for more than an hour max within the past week, he thinks. Being cuddled just is that much more fun than any of the toys laying around.

He gets lunch, some rice with veggies and what he thinks is meat, but can't be sure. It's all mushy, pureed food like the first meal he got, to help in his indigestion, or that's what he thinks. Babies get mushy food all the time though, so maybe not.

Peter takes one look at his scrunched up face and makes a sympathetic sound. ''Is our little one still having tummy trouble?''

Daddy sighs. ''Yeah. I might have to swing by the clinic after all. We could probably wait for things to calm down in his system but I hate leaving him to suffer. There might be some human medicine that could help soothe his stomach enough for him to sleep through the night peacefully.''

Nodding, Peter comes to hug Stiles' head against his chest, careful not to jostle the high chair needlessly, lest Stiles spill his food. He's been given a spoon to feed himself a little, his daddy taking pictures and praising him endlessly.

''It might be a good idea.'' Uncle's voice pitches to something more of a coo. ''Can't have our little one be sad, hm? That won't do at all, no.''

A little amused, he gives both werewolves a shy smile. Daddy immediately lights up and comes to press small kisses all over his face. ''Such a good boy! Giving daddy and uncle Peter such a beautiful smile. God, I love you so much, Stiles.''

Blushing, Stiles opts to put more food in his mouth. Whenever daddy says he loves him it makes him all squirmy and unsure. He's only been here for a _week_. How can daddy already love him? Nobody's ever loved Stiles so fast. He'd hate it if, at the end of the month, he'd be whisked to the clinic only to be told that Derek had been lying the whole time and won't want Stiles after all. That he would rather pick another baby for a trial month because Stiles didn't live up to the expectations.

Something in his scent must change because suddenly there are two worried faces hoovering near his.

''Stiles,'' Da - _Derek_ , starts, hands gently grabbing Stiles' spoon off his hand. ''Why did my lovely prince suddenly get all sad? Was it something that daddy said?''

Not meeting the Alpha's eyes, Stiles swallows. In a nervous habit, he starts to fiddle with the corner of the table, tapping it lightly. He doesn't want to admit his fears out loud. Because they seem really silly. There's still three weeks for him to better himself into the baby that Derek will ultimately want and never abandon. He just hasn't grasped yet what kind of behavior that would be. The Alpha seems pleased no matter what Stiles is doing.

But being pleased is different from unconditional love. And he's got no clue as to how to obtain that.

''Use your words, baby,'' Daddy says softly, pulling Stiles off the chair. Things seem so much easier in the Alpha's embrace. He feels so safe and secured that usually it's the only place he'd want to be. Derek's hugs are associated with only good things, happy things, and it's almost impossible to keep thinking bad thoughts while being cuddled by the werewolf.

''Come on, Stiles,'' Derek encourages, ''Tell daddy what's wrong. I promise I won't get angry no matter what you say. Okay?''

 They situate themselves onto the couch, with uncle Peter sitting side to side with the Alpha. Daddy waits, like he always does, for Stiles to find his words. In the meanwhile, he rubs comforting circles onto his back with one hand, one hand coming to gently brush his cheek with his fingers.

'' D- Daddy won't - '' He huffs, his voice shaking. ''Daddy says he loves me but we've known each other for one week! You can't love me yet, _nobody_ can - ''

''Shh, alright pup, hush,'' the man presses his fingers against his mouth, and Peter offers up a pacifier. Derek takes it, plopping it into his own mouth to check there's no dirt on it before offering it to Stiles. He takes it, and starts immediately worrying it with his teeth.

''Is my prince listening to me carefully?''

He nods. Derek gives him a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

''Here's the thing. You know how sometimes mommies, and in some occasions daddies, carry a baby inside them?''

He nods again.

''Uh-huh. And already even before the baby is born the parents love the little bean growing inside the mommy's or daddy's tummy. It takes nine _whole_ months for the baby to be born, but when they do, all mommies and daddies go over the moon at how they love their little baby because they do. Even when they haven't met the baby yet. That's what being a mommy or a daddy is like. You love your child no matter what.

''And I have wanted a baby of my own for _so_ long. I've been lonely and just wondering when I could get the miracle of life in my own hands. I have already been at this adoption process for a whole year waiting for my miracle. It took a long time to make sure daddy was allowed to take a baby to home with him, but I got the go-ahead. And then I saw you and I was already in love with my little Stiles. And the more time we spend together, the more daddy falls in love with his perfect baby boy.

''So whatever yucky thoughts you have in your head about daddy not loving you, you can ignore. Because I do. I love my perfect little Stiles so, so much,'' the Alpha hugs him tightly against his chest, ''And if I could I would adopt you right here and right now and never let you go. But we have to wait for the end of the month, because that was the deal. But in three weeks, you and me, pup, we're going to be a real family. And you'll know how silly it was to think that daddy and uncle Peter wouldn't have wanted you, because we've waited for you for so long!''

It's almost like the sky has cleared and the clouds have vanished. It all makes sense. Of course he knows that unborn babies are loved. He just didn't think that his daddy would - But it doesn't matter. Because daddy said he loves Stiles, wanted to adopt him to be really part of his family, and that's all Stiles needed to hear. He sighs happily, sucking on the pacifier. He's always had an oral fixation, and pacifier just seems like a more rubbery lollipop, soothing his innate need to have something in his mouth.

''There we go,'' Daddy murmurs. ''That's my happy boy. Now, daddy's going to reheat your food and then if my little pup has eaten everything on his plate, I think there might be something yummy in the freezer.''

Immediately perking up, Stiles looks up to his daddy. Pointing to his tummy, Derek laughs. ''Yes, if my pup still has space in his tummy left when he's finished, Stiles will get ice cream. Strawberry, just how you like it.''

Stiles nods enthusiastically, making Peter smirk. ''It's always strawberry with the cubs. Whatever happened to the glory of chocolate?''

''Chocolate _and_ strawberry?'' Stiles asks hopefully, barely managing to spit out his pacifier in his haste to get the words out.

 ''Oh pup,'' Peter laughs, ''Let's not be too greedy, hm? If you'll be brave for your doctor's appointment, then we'll think things over.''

Visibly wilting at the mention of going to doctor's, Stiles gives a forlorn sigh.

''Well, if Stiles' stomach isn't starting to cooperate today, I'll book one. I don't want to needlessly drag him hours away just for this,'' Derek says, and honestly, daddy is just the best.

 

Sadly, his stomach is still as upset as it has been the past week when his daddy reads him a bed time story, and Derek just looks at him with sympathy. ''Guess we have to go,'' his daddy murmurs softly. ''But I'm sure it'll just be a quick check in. It'll make you feel better when we get your tummy happy. We can even go out to play when you get better. Wouldn't that be fun?''

Stiles has only been inside the house since he came here, so going outside sounds like a good idea. He nods, and Daddy rubs his cheek. 

''That settles it then. Tomorrow we'll visit a nice doctor and then we can do exciting stuff afterwards. I know you haven't been outside and my little pup must be antsy for it by now, but for the sake of the community's security, I can't take you downtown just yet. But soon, love. Soon we'll be so so happy living here together. I can show you our small aquarium, the parks and play rooms we have here. Even introduce you to the rest of the pack! We have two other werewolves and a pet. But you'll meet them in your time.''

Stiles presses his cheek more firmly against Derek's palm, feeling the warmth of it. ''Pets? Like Peter has?''

Something dark crosses over his daddy's face, making Stiles stiffen. Is that a forbidden topic? He's sure daddy and Peter talked about a pet that Peter has somewhere downstairs, behind the laundry room he's prohibited to go into. They've mentioned feeding 'her', though Stiles isn't sure if the pet is an actual animal or a human. It being human seems more likely, though Stiles can't say for sure why that is.

''A bit like Peter has,'' Daddy says slowly, scary expression vanishing when he looks gently down at Stiles. ''But Peter's pet isn't like the ones you'll be meeting in the future. You'll understand maybe someday, but Peter's little Katie cat is far different from the pup my beta owns.''

Then daddy sighs heavily. ''There's a lot my baby boy isn't aware of yet, but when you are finally fully mine, I'll explain things to you. For now, you can just focus on being you and playing with daddy. That's all I ask.''

''Okay,'' Stiles agrees, making his daddy chuckle. 

''That's my good boy.'' He gets a few forehead kisses and one kiss on his lips, which make him squirm happily, and then he's left to his own devices in his crib. There's a Donald Duck nightlight at the corner, glowing faintly white and blue, and Stiles blinks at it until sleep lulls him deeper into slumber.

 

 

Stiles is fascinated with the planets stuck onto the upper shelf of his changing table. The table is designed to be sturdy to hold a full height and weight adult, and it can be closed and opened, the square wooden piece having hinges that allow it to go up and down against the wall. Surrounding the table is a shelf that is built on both sides of the changing pit, carving over it with an extra shelf drilled onto the wall. Derek has put glow stickers of planets where Stiles mostly stares up at when he's being changed.

He remembers some of the names. He knows which one is earth and which one is sun. There are two planets with a ring around them, and he knows one of them is Saturnus, but the other he has no idea. He sucks his pacifier in thought, reaching to touch the stickers even though his arms aren't long enough.

Derek lifts his legs a little, to wipe his bottom, and Stiles goes with the motions, too distracted to care. Besides, aside from the arousal he sometimes gets when daddy touches close to his dick, it feels nice when he's being wiped clean. He feels cared for, instead of being humiliated like in the first day.

''Is my baby boy having fun?''

He makes a sound behind the pacifier and glances at his daddy. Derek is opening a new diaper for him when he does, and smiles gently at him. 

''At first daddy thought that putting planets there would be a big boy thing and you wouldn't like it, but then daddy realized that my baby boy is really, really smart, so I kept those just for you.''

Since he isn't strapped down(he hasn't been, not by daddy, but Peter apparently will. Good thing he hasn't been changed by uncle yet then) he takes the rubber out of his mouth and says, ''Like 'em daddy.'' He points up, though he knows Derek can't really see where he's pointing, ''Tha's earth. And sun. And one of 'em is satur but dunno which.''

Lifting his bottom, he helps daddy when the Alpha slips the diaper under him to secure it in place. Daddy hums, placing a kiss on his tummy. ''Such a smart baby,'' he praises, and Stiles wriggles happily. 

Then he gets lifted up and dressed in a soft onesie with teddy bear pattern. The cotton is soft, and with the way his daddy always puts extra lotion all over his body, his skin stays moist enough that the fabric doesn't feel rough to his hands.

''Alright pup,'' Daddy hoists him up, ''Time for your tummy check up. Do you want the Stegosaurus with you?'' Without getting a reply, Derek is already reaching for the stuffed toy resting in Stiles' crib. 

''Yeah,'' he says, and a moment later has his hands full of the soft reptile. Daddy gives him kisses to his temple, his free hand reaching to pluck the forgotten pacifier from the changing table, clipping it to the front of Stiles' onesie. It's so that it's in easy reach if Stiles wants it, but won't fall if Stiles gets too distracted.

''Peter,'' his daddy says, ''Can you get Stiles' bottle ready?''

Uncle seems to reply something because then daddy says, ''Yeah. It should be on the top shelf. You should add 5 milliliters of it into the milk.'' Another pause, which Derek spends putting away Stiles jammies. ''Uh-huh, just heat it up. We'll be down in a minute.''

A couple minutes later they get downstairs, the warm bottle ready at the end of the table. Derek takes it, scooping Stiles so that it's easy to feed the bottle to him without Stiles having to let go of his toy, and when he finishes all of it, daddy burps him, cuddling him close.

Two minutes later, he's out of the count.

 

 

 

 

Waking up is disorienting. He wasn't supposed to fall asleep. He had been looking forward to looking out of the window of the car to see his surroundings, gaze at the outside world. Instead, he's got no memories as to how he got inside the car and the booster seat he's strapped in. The car is not on, and it's super quiet. 

He blinks his eyes open. The parking lot he's in is very familiar, though the last time he saw it, it had been night time.

Panic sets in when he realizes Derek isn't in the car with him, nor anywhere near vicinity. He starts to wildly look around, trashing against the seat belt that's secured snugly into place. Low from the pit of his chest, he makes terrified sounds, hands shaking too much to fight with the clip that ensures his safety. It's getting a little hard to breathe, straining his body away from his booster seat, Mandy, his Stegosaurus, completely forgotten on the side of his seat. 

There are no people in the lot, and the only car there is the one Stiles is sitting in. Is this even his daddy's car? What if Derek left him at the clinic while he was out of it and then another werewolf came to get him? He doesn't smell Derek's aftershave in the car, just leather.  

 His daddy has _abandoned_ him.

 Big, fat tears pool into his eyes and drip down his face. His daddy has left him after all. All of those declarations of love, all of it, just a vicious lie. Derek doesn't love him. Doesn't care that he's hurting - Maybe that's why. Maybe his upset stomach was too much, too much trash from changing him, too much effort into cleaning him - 

''Hey, hey, shh, baby, pup, what's wrong?'' The car door opens and Derek's concerned face comes into view. It makes Stiles cry even harder, reaching for his daddy's embrace. The Alpha immediately lets him loose from the booster seat and scoops him into a tight embrace. 

''Shh, shh, it's okay. Daddy's here,'' Derek murmurs, rocking back and forth.

''D-Daddy wasn't here! Daddy _left_ me - ''

''Oh pumpkin, shh, shh, it's alright. Daddy wouldn't leave you. I just had to go in and register and I didn't want to wake you up just yet. Shh, I won't go anywhere.''

Stiles clings, hard, sobs wrecking his chest. He feels so _small_. It's like all rational thought left his mind at the prospect of losing his new family. It scares him how young he feels, how fragile his emotions have become and so quickly. Dr Castillo had told him that it would take what could be months to achieve that mind of a baby, of a child. That he'd probably have to work hard to get there, to force his big boy thoughts down and just embrace being a baby that's being completely taken care of.

But he's been at Derek's for a little over eight days and his emotions have roller coastered up and down. Being young, remembering his past life and feeling big again, then getting sad and happy in the span of couple minutes. Whenever daddy hushes him or feeds him or tries to engage him to play, all thoughts of his past disappear and his mind settles down. He's been more content with Derek than he has since he was maybe ten years old, and it scares him.

Derek seems uncaring of the snot and tears that wet his shoulder. It's almost physically impossible to stop his crying, and he's glad daddy isn't trying to force him to. The Alpha rumbles deep in his chest, the vibrations soothing against Stiles' front.

''I'm here, love, just let it all out. Daddy's here to make it all better,'' Derek murmurs.

It takes closer to ten minutes, Stiles thinks, for him to calm down. His grip on time has distorted, unable to really assess the process of it. For a moment he thinks they're late for the appointment now that Stiles had his meltdown, but Derek doesn't seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere.

There's a tissue that comes to wipe away his tears after he's completely spent himself.

''Here,'' Daddy says, ''Let's blow your nose, pup. Easier to breathe.''

Tiredly, he blows when daddy asks him to, a couple times. Then he gets Mandy when he motions for it, before Derek closes and locks the car, carrying Stiles inside.

The reception is empty, completely devoid of people apart from the young girl behind the reception desk. She makes a sympathetic face when he sees Stiles' red and tear streaked face, but doesn't comment. Daddy ignores her completely apart from a nod and seems to know exactly where he's going.

When they enter the hallway, he immediately recognizes the place. There's the same bench he was sitting on not two weeks ago, the same lamp still blinking pathetically on the ceiling. It seems less threatening and spooky during daytime, especially with his strong Alpha daddy carrying him. If something did come and try to hurt him, daddy would protect him.

When daddy sits down, he says apologetically, ''Daddy is sorry for leaving you alone in the car. I'll make sure the next time that I'll either wake you up or take you with me. I hate it when my little boy is unhappy, but daddy can only blame himself.'' The man takes a deep breath, and Stiles snuffles against his throat.

''I'm also sorry for putting sedative in your milk, but we cannot risk the community getting revealed. Not that daddy doesn't trust you because I do, but I have to be able to back my words if someone asks. And you know by now that werewolves can tell when one is lying.''

'' 's okay daddy,'' Stiles whispers. ''Just, don't leave me - please daddy - ''

''Shh, I won't. Of course I won't. You're my favorite baby boy in the world. I would be beyond devastated if my perfect little pup was to disappear. Daddy would be so sad that he'd go to the end of the _world_ to get my Stiles back. I love you that much and more.''

''. . . Love you too, daddy,'' Stiles whispers back. He feels a little silly for his earlier outburst now. 

''Hale?''

Derek stands, one arm supporting Stiles' bottom and the other extending to the doctor. ''Good to see you again, Dr. Castillo,'' he greets her.

''As is you. To be completely honest, I was quite certain I wouldn't see either of you until the end of the month. What seems to be wrong?''

They situate themselves inside the office, Derek unconsciously choosing the exact seat on the sofa where Stiles had sat when he first came. Daddy doesn't put him down though, just shifts positions until Stiles is comfortable.

''Oh there's absolutely no trouble,'' Derek reassures the woman. ''Or at least, not the kind you're thinking of.'' Daddy is obviously referring to Stiles' face and the way it's still probably splotchy red, eyes swollen and a little crusty. He hides his face, inhaling his daddy's reassuring smell.

''Ever since the first night, his stomach has been rebelling. Aches, cramps, diarrhea. . . Nothing is solid when it gets out. His hole has inflamed and I've been putting salve in there to soothe it, but it can't heal if his intestines aren't working properly.''

Dr. Castillo makes a humming sound. ''That does seem a little tricky. However, it's completely normal with newly adopted babies. Before these humans came to us, their life had no structure. Most of them have eaten junk food, unhealthy drinks, energy drinks, if they have eaten at all. The transition from an unhealthy diet to a healthy, baby-friendly one can be a little tough on their tummies.''

''Is there anything we can do to help? It hurts me to see my little baby in pain all the time.''

''We can offer you a prescription for stomach medicine that should help soothe the irritated intestines. You should also check your little one's file. Sometimes the cause of the upset stomach can be lactose. Many babies that are biologically the age they are haven't drank milk since possibly high school, or even younger. Lactose intolerance can develop at a later age, and it's always good to check if that is indeed the problem. We can run a test here for it, or you can first try the medicine at home and changing the milk into lactose free one. Hopefully things should calm down then.''

Derek sighs in relief. ''So there's no need to worry?''

''No. I don't think so. I can examine his stomach if you'd like, to feel if there is blockage of any sort. Though mostly blockage means constipation, but sometimes the intestines have what we call half-blockage, which means that some part of the feces come out as liquid diarrhea. I don't think it's that, but we can certainly make sure.''

''That would be amazing. Does he need to take his clothes off or ?''

''Well, usually just taking the shirt off and opening the zip of the pants would suffice, but as you have him in his onesie, it would be beneficial to take it off, yes.''

''Noo,'' Stiles whimpers, clinging to daddy's shirt with all his might. ''Don't wanna.''

Daddy pries his fingers off with relative ease, chuckling. ''It's okay, pup. Daddy's here the whole time. This won't hurt one bit.''

Stiles shakes his head. ''Don't wanna, daddy.''

Derek makes him lift his chin up and look into his eyes. ''We have to make sure you're okay, love. Just listen to what daddy says. Daddy knows best after all.''

Stiles whimpers, but doesn't protest more than that when Derek starts taking his clothes off. The office is a little cold and goosebumps immediately litter all over his skin. He's being laid down onto the examination table, and thankfully daddy doesn't take his diaper off too. Dr. Castillo smiles down at him as she puts on gloves, and reassures him that it won't hurt.

It does hurt a little bit, especially 'cause his tummy is so sensitive at the moment. He gets to hold daddy's hand though, with the Alpha's gentle fingers carding through his hair, and on his other arm that isn't occupied by daddy's hand, he holds Mandy in the armpit.

It's over pretty quickly, and Dr. Castillo reassures them that his stomach seems fine. Just that the change in his fiber and protein intake must've triggered the upset.  They get a paper with Stiles' info and his prescription.

Daddy puts him in his booster seat, careful not to crush the glittering T-Rex sticker he got from being 'brave'. It's nice and he likes it, though he thinks he wasn't all that brave to warrant a congrats-sticker. He doesn't complain though. It's his now and nobody can take it back.

They swing by the local pharmacy, Derek leaving Stiles in the car with reassurances that he'll be back in a jiffy. Stiles thinks about being upset, but he knows that they're in the human world now. Him being a baby and getting carried around would raise both suspicion and probably other negative feelings, so he stays, Mandy cuddled close.

When daddy comes back, he doesn't go to the driver's seat. Instead, he comes around and opens the back door, right where Stiles is. 

''Pup,'' the Alpha starts gently, ''You know I need to put you to sleep again when we leave, right?''

 Right. He had forgotten about that.

''We won't go back just yet. Daddy needs to do a few shopping trips and we can go order take away too. Something that'll make my baby happy.''

Stiles points to himself, pacifier in his mouth, and Derek gives a lopsided smile. ''I don't think you can come inside the shops. I could go look and see if they have a wheelchair though, in the shopping center. If there is, then I can take you. But otherwise you'd have to wait in the car, love. Do you think you could do that?''

He nods. He could certainly do that. He might be little but he knows when others wouldn't take to him too well. Daddy ruffles his hair.

''How did I manage to get such a perfect little baby?'' Derek says adoringly. ''I must've been a saint in my past life. God, you're so amazing Stiles. I love you so much.''

He gets kisses again, and that's always fun. Then daddy closes the door with one last smooch to his forehead, and goes to the driver's seat.

 

 

The shopping center, surprisingly, does have a wheelchair.  They can even loan it for free, which apparently surprises his daddy a lot. There's a moment that Stiles fears he'll fall off the chair without anything securing him in place, but daddy fixes the problem by using the booster seat's seat belt. He has to leave back his pacifier though.

It's been awhile since Stiles has been anywhere that wasn't his college campus (Or Derek's house). The hubbub of people seem somehow really overwhelming, and Stiles really wishes he had stayed in the car. There he could've just looked outside from the tinted car windows and clutch Mandy and suck on his dummy. Here he can do neither. Just helplessly hunch into himself when the crowd gets thicker.

''It's okay, Stiles,'' Daddy says, and he looks up to see his daddy smiling at him. ''We'll be quick. Just hang in there, okay? I promise we won't take longer than necessary. If you're good, I think I could find a friend for your Stegosaurus.''

''Mandy?''

''Oh, it's got a name?''

''Uh-huh,'' Stiles says. ''Mandy.''

''Well then, how about we get Mandy a friend?''

''Just have to be good?''

''Just have to be you, pup,'' Derek ruffles his hair. ''That's all I ask. Nothing more, nothing less. As long as you're happy, da - I'll be happy.''

So Stiles does his best to stay still and wait patiently when daddy wheels him around. He hasn't seen this kind of worldview for a long time, so it gets to be a little bit fun after a while. He can see gum pressed against many places where adults can't see them, and it makes him squirm to not let the giggle out. 

They go past a baby clothes section for babies tinier than Stiles. There's one onesie that immediately catches his eye. It's on the lowest shelf, a pastel purple and white striped onesie. He reaches for it, touching the soft fabric. It's of the same kind that his current onesie is. Though daddy covered his clothes with a blanket and a denim jacket, the teddy bear pattern only flashing once in a while. Since daddy is distracted, Stiles takes the onesie in his hands.

He wants one. He knows logically that he can't wear this one, the size way too small, but he wants exactly one like this. 

''Daddy?'' he whispers, tugging on the man's sleeve.

''Hm?''

 ''I want this one.''

''Oh, love, that's -,'' the Alpha lowers his voice, ''Way too small for you, pup. We have to order your clothes custom made, at least until the end of the month. Then we can go shopping at our local clothes store which has sizes that are just right for you.''

Stiles scrunches his brows together. ''But I want this one.''

''You can't pup,'' Derek says patiently. ''This one's for teeny tiny babies that have just been born.''

''I'm teeny tiny,'' Stiles whispers, lower lip quivering. He doesn't know why he's so emotional today. But just the thought that he isn't a small baby like the ones in the pictures plastered all over the store makes him sad.

''Yes, yes you are,'' Daddy soothes, coming to crouch in front of him. ''You know that dogs can be in different sizes? So when a big dog and a tiny dog have puppies, the little dog's pups are much smaller than the bigger dog's. But they're still the same age, still as tiny mentally.'' Stiles nods. It makes sense, kind of.

''And I promise, I will order you a onesie just like this. Here, I'll take a picture of it. Then we can make sure we get exactly the same one.''

He sniffs. ''Okay.'' 

Daddy takes a couple pictures of the onesie, from back and front, and the label which says what material it's made from. He's pleased enough then to let the baby clothing go so daddy can put it back in the rack.

''Is my love getting hungry?''

Thinking about it for a minute, Stiles pats at his tummy. He could eat, he thinks, and says, ''No milk?''

A couple passerby's give them an odd look and Stiles flushes a little, having completely forgotten that they were actually in a public place where people can hear them. Daddy just ignores them though. ''No milk, not until we get home. I think Uncle Peter said something about Subway and now that da - I think about it, it would be a delicious idea. A tuna sandwich sounds good, does it not?''

''Uh-huh.''

''Then that's what we'll eat. There are couple more shops I need to visit, but then we can go.'' 

 

 

 A couple days later, and Stiles' tummy finally gives him peace. He cries a little on his lonesome, so quietly that the werewolves in the house won't hear, just from sheer relief. Of course, his daddy knows instantly that he's been crying, but seems placated when Stiles just snuffles against him and pats his tummy happily.

And now that he feels constantly good, it leaves space for him to study the house better and, embarrassingly enough, his libido reawakens too. Daddy had ignored his morning wood though, so Stiles is pretty sure 'nice touches' isn't on the table.

Yet. He _really_ hopes it might be, later. 

 At the moment, he's doing arts and crafts with uncle. Peter has always funny stories that he tells, even if he can't read bed time stories as well as daddy can. Daddy does voices too, see, and that's important. Peter is focusing so intently on his art piece that he doesn't notice what Stiles is doing.

After getting his tummy in condition, his little mischievous self has bubbled to surface. He remembers when he played with his best friend on their back yard, doing pranks to their neighbors. Just small, harmless ones. Nothing to tarnish his father's name, fully aware that in the sheriff's position, everything your family did in your name would affect directly to his job.

So Stiles behaved as well as a kid his age would.

And right now, he's about to strike again. He's completely forgotten about the punishment, at least in the face of getting some fun time. He takes the blue finger paint that he's been working with, dips his whole hand into the can and then says, ''Uncle Peter!''

When Peter turns his head, Stiles reaches his hand and pats the werewolf on the cheek. Peter freezes, eyes going wide, and Stiles doubles over with laughter. It's not the laughter he remembers from college parties. This one is more high pitched, more childlike. He feels light and happy, and when Peter slowly comes to touch his cheek, his hand coming away blue, Stiles can't stop the bubbling laughter at all.

''What's going on in here?'' Daddy asks, coming to the entrance of the living room. He first zeroes in on Stiles, his mouth stretching to grin. Then Stiles sees the Alpha's gaze landing on Peter, and even daddy bursts into chuckles.

Peter, for his part, looks unamused, but there's a suppressed smile that makes his lips twist upwards without meaning to.

''Your little brat,'' Peter says, ''Doesn't know how to keep paint on paper and not on nice uncles that play with him.''

Daddy comes to crouch next to Stiles, poking him lightly on the side. It makes him squeal even harder, squirming away from the offending digit. ''Daddy no!''

''Daddy yes,'' the Alpha mock mimics him, and pokes again. Stiles wriggles away, under the low table of the living room. 

 ''Daddy no,'' he growls at the Alpha, or at least tries to, but it fails under his own giggles. ''Uncle Peter is pretty now.''

''Uncle Peter,'' Peter says, bending down to peer at Stiles, ''Was pretty before. Now you just messed up my face. There's no pattern even! Just your dirty little fingers painted on my cheek.''

 ''Blue's pretty,'' he disagrees. ''Uncle P is just mulish.''

That makes his daddy almost howl with laughter, the Alpha laying on the ground, wiping at his eyes. It makes Stiles grin widely in response, happy with the outcome of his little misdemeanor.

''Oh, I'll show you,'' Peter growls and drags Stiles from under the table and into his lap. He begins to mercilessly dig his fingers into Stiles' sides, making him breathless with laughter. The wolf drags his cheek against Stiles', rubbing the color onto his face as well.

''Well,'' Daddy says after awhile, ''I think this calls for a bath. How about it, hm?''

Eyes sparkling, Stiles nods enthusiastically. He _loves_ baths. Derek always puts in lots of foam and he gets to have two bath ducks with him. Peter grumbles that he's the one who needs a shower, not the one who has to leave behind to clean this mess, but daddy just grins.

''Don't worry. We have a whole lifetime ahead of us to clean up crafts messes, so I think Stiles will get his turn in putting the stuff away. Now, however, I'm going to get this little pup clean because I don't know how much finger paint is supposed to be near his mouth, and I won't take any unnecessary risks. Not when it comes to Stiles' health.''

Peter grumbles for all of five seconds before he concedes defeat. ''Good point.''

 

Stiles decides on the lavender bath soap, the bubbles slightly purple. The tub in the house is big enough for two, but so far Derek hasn't shared the bath with him. Usually the Alpha just fills the tub halfway up and stays on the side.

This time though, even daddy takes off his clothes, and much to Stiles' joy, fills the tub until the brim. The Alpha settles at his back, drawing Stiles against his chest. It's nice and relaxing, and he really, _really_ likes the fact that Derek shares this with him. As if he hasn't gotten enough skin contact with the werewolf even though he does almost nothing else but be carried by daddy or Peter. Even the most touch-starved person should've gotten their fill by now.

''Did yo have fun with Peter?''

Stiles nods. ''Would've been funnier with daddy tho.''

Chuckling, the Alpha rubs at his back. ''I'll remember that next time.''

Stiles leans forward to give his daddy more access, taking support on the Alpha's sturdy knees. Since he's sitting in the vee of the man's legs, he also acutely aware of his daddy's dick near his bottom. It makes him a little hot to think about daddy opening him up, licking at his hole, sliding in a finger or two, dragging them against his rim. . 

''Ho? Is my little one getting a little excited?''

Stiles pouts. ''Can't help it daddy.''

''Mm. And if I do this. . . '' The man drags his finger slowly against the crease of his thigh and hip, inches away from Stiles' half-chub. 

Whining, Stiles arches against Derek's front, trying to get the delicious friction somewhere even better. Daddy tsks though, and takes his hand away. His mouth is inches away form Stiles' ear as he whispers, ''My baby boy will do as daddy says. And I'm not ready for you to come just yet. Maybe later, if you let daddy wash you properly.''

 ''I'll be good, I promise.''

The Alpha chuckles, pressing a kiss against his temple. ''I know you will. You make me so proud Stiles. I adore you _so_ much.''

He gets rubbed within the inch of his life, his daddy tortuously slow. Between the tips of his toes, to the bend of his knees, to his bony hips, up to his chest and neck. The Alpha spends a long time scrubbing his neck, getting away all of the scent of the bitter paint. Stiles face is the worst off, and Derek is unbelievably gentle as he washes away all of the blue. He doesn't spare his dick half a thought when his daddy is so reverently washing him from everywhere else. 

He gets dried with a fluffy towel, Derek carrying him to the nursery as he calls out to Peter that the shower is free. 

Daddy tenderly places him on the changing table, rubbing away the residue moist. Stiles' interest arouses again, and he blushes when he sees Derek smiling at his dick.

''I can tell that my baby boy won't be able to go to sleep if daddy doesn't help him a little.''

Nodding enthusiastically, Stiles pleads, ''Yes, daddy. _Please_.''

The Alpha takes his dick on his hand, pressing gently at the head of it. Stiles moans, throwing his head back. It makes daddy give an amused sound, and suddenly his dick is engulfed with something warm and wet. He gasps at the sensation, stretching his legs more open to give access. 

''Good boy,'' Daddy praises, and this time, instead of going slow, his daddy starts a merciless pace. Stiles lets out a loud groan, hips stuttering in time of Derek's jerks. He tries not to fuck into the Alpha's hot hand, tries so hard to stay still and let his daddy take. But he can barely take it, not having jerked off since the first time his daddy helped him feel really good, and he's helpless at the hands of the man.

''Is my good boy going to come for daddy?''

Well. When it's phrased like _that_.

''Ah ha- _Daddy_ -! '' He comes, _hard_. The Alpha prolongs it for as long as possible, jerking vigorously at Stiles' dick until the whimpering moans go from ultimate pleasure to slightly pain, and then releases him. Stiles can't do anything but pant heavily, not having had such a strong orgasm, possibly ever. His limbs go loose and pliant under his daddy's ministrations, letting the man wipe away the remnants of his pleasure.

His favorite jammies has been laid out next to the changing table, vintage batman figure striking a pose in the front. They smell faintly of soap, almost everything in the house non-scented because of werewolf noses. How the two of them can bare it when Stiles fills his diapers he doesn't know. Maybe that's why daddy is so fast with catching on if he's soiled himself. Not that he minds. He hates sitting in a wet diaper, because it gets really cold really quickly.

Daddy dresses him, pressing kisses wherever he can reach. Stiles hums happily, eyes blinking heavily at the ceiling.

Derek tucks him softly underneath his blanket, his eyes adoring when he looks down at Stiles in his crib. It makes him feel loved, having the Alpha's gaze roam his face, powerful hands coming to gently brush his hair off his forehead. 

 This time he's too tired for a bed time story, all of his energy gone during the day, so his daddy sings him a lullaby. And even before Derek hits the second verse, Stiles drifts off, warm and content.

 

 

 

Stiles is about to seriously throw a tantrum. He's considering it, even in the face of a punishment, because this is ridiculous. It's been three weeks since he's come to live with these two blithering idiots, every day carefully marked down onto the calendar stuck on the fridge door, and he thinks he's due one good kicking and screaming.

One, today daddy has barely paid him any attention, and it's irking him. Normally, if daddy is busy with work stuff, uncle Peter will entertain Stiles for as long as he's needed. But even Peter has played with him with half a focus, the story they were building up completely crushing down because uncle isn't in it with his heart.

And soon enough, if this stupid 'Let's all ignore Stiles day' doesn't come to an end, Stiles will end it _himself_.  

He tries one more time. ''And then uncle Peter, you have to take Knight Pirate to the barbie jail because she didn't respect Batman's territory and took my hero title.''

''Yes, Pirate King will become a hero rescuing the barbie jail,'' Peter says distractedly, his head cocked like he's listening to something else entirely.

That's it.

''No!'' Stiles shouts, kicking the barbie jail away from him. ''Uncle Peter is stupid! It's Knight Pirate and you're in Batman's territory anD YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! Stupid _shit_ head - ''

The werewolf rounds at him so fast Stiles can barely blink before Peter has a grip on his chin. '' _What_ did you just say little boy? Tell me that my ears lied and Stiles didn't just swear.''

He's too angry to note the warning signs that Peter exudes, and slaps at the werewolf's hand. ''No! Daddy is stupid! Uncle Peter is stupid! Everyone is a shit head motherfu -''

''That's it,'' Peter growls, dragging Stiles up to his chest and carrying him to Derek's office. ''We do _not_ swear at anyone and not at any time. You hear me Stiles? This ends now.''

 ''Let me go!'' Stiles kicks, too upset to really think. He's in that headspace again, feeling small and unheard and ignored. He's tiny, he knows, and he knows he's not supposed to say such big boy things, especially such rude things, but he felt like that was the only way to really catch anyone's attention.

He's been ignored enough in his lifetime and when daddy and Peter both won't give him their full attention, it _hurts_. Makes his chest heavy and sad.

Peter puts him roughly on a chair that's been placed in a corner in the middle of a small green mat. When he first came, he was told that that would be his time out corner where he's supposed to sit quietly until he's given the okay to leave. Peter grabs his frustration driven swinging arms, his grip tight. He forces Stiles to look into his eyes.

''We do not swear. Do you understand me? No matter how upset you are, you do not use such bad words. Ten minutes you will sit quietly and think about what you said. And then we'll have a discussion about kicking, because we do not physically assault anyone in this house. Am I understood?''

Stiles looks away mutinously. Peter chases his gaze though, and when Stiles registers the real anger there, he wilts. ''Am I understood?'' Peter grits, and Stiles nods miserably.

''Good. Ten minutes. I'll come get you when you can come out.''

When Peter exits the room, Stiles bites his lip. He wants Mandy. It's his only comfort whenever he wakes up during the night, not wanting to wake up his daddy needlessly. The office smells stuffy and like old books, reminding him of his real father's, the sheriff's, office. The room is completely devoid of toys and childish colors and decor, and it feels cold and suppressing.

He knows he was bad. He's not supposed to kick. Not supposed to yell of curse either. But he felt so _alone_. Having been lavished with attention and love and then suddenly having it all withdrawn for a whole day got him unbalanced. Emotionally unable to find footing. And it's scary how dependent he's come of the two werewolves. Now, when he's feeling adrift, he's got no anchor if he can't rely on getting hugs and equilibrium from his daddy.

The tears start pooling in his eyes. He curls in on himself, hugging himself in a weak attempt at imagining it's his daddy. He sniffs miserably. What if he won't ever get cuddles again? What if this one time of bad has forever sealed his fate at not getting kisses and gentle rubs at his back.

He sobs at the thought. What if he was too bad? He kicked uncle after all. Screamed too and cussed. Those were in the rules he was to never ever break. The harsh cries wreck at his chest, and he starts babbling weakly apologies. He'll apologize for everything. For being bad. For being unlovable. For being such a horrible baby that even daddy won't ever take him again.

''Oh, sweetheart.''

Daddy's arms come to pull him up, guiding his arms to grip at the Alpha's neck, the man rubbing at his scalp when Stiles rests his head on Derek's shoulder.

''Shh, shh, it's okay. Uncle Peter told me what happened. You're okay, love. Uncle was a little bit too rough. You're okay. Daddy loves you a lot, okay pup? You're fine, it's alright,'' Daddy says, and Stiles cries harder.

'' M sorry!'' He wails. ''I din't mean to be buh-bad b-but daddy - Daddy didn't love me 'n unca P dn't play 'n -''

''I'm sorry,'' Derek says, plopping himself down onto the mat, inches from the time out chair. ''Daddy had a really tight deadline and Peter's pet has been a little naughty lately, so our focus wasn't where it was supposed to be. And I'm sorry. You're my sweet little boy and daddy wants you always happy and playing with me, but sometimes daddy's gotta do yucky grown up things.''

Stiles hiccups, breathing loudly when the snot kind of clogs his nose. Daddy rubs his back soothingly. ''You are not unlovable, Stiles,'' the Alpha says sadly. ''I think you're a handsome little boy who's really sweet and caring. Daddy and Peter both have endless love for you. When you're sad, we're sad. And if all of us are sad, who's going to bring out the sunshine again?''

 ''Hnng,'' Stiles sniffs. He doesn't know. If everyone is sad, who makes everyone happy? Mandy? Cuddling with Mandy makes him happy. 

''Muh- Mandy?'' He asks brokenly. Derek chuffs against the top of his head. 

''Sure pup. Mandy can make us all happy again. Do you want to go get it?''

Stiles nods. He does want his Stegosaurus. It's his best friend. It drives away the monsters under his bed.

Daddy rises up effortlessly, like Stiles doesn't weigh a thing. He wipes his nose against the Alpha's shoulder, and Derek doesn't scold him. Just places tender kisses against his forehead.

''Now, I know my baby knows that we don't kick anyone. That we don't cuss at people. It's not at all nice. But I also think that uncle was a little hasty in his punishment, seeing as this is your first time and you were already feeling so upset. So this time we apologize to uncle Peter, but Peter will also say sorry to you. Does that sound fair?''

''Uh-huh,'' he agrees. ''Want my dummy.''

''That can surely be arranged.'' Daddy carries him to the nursery and gets the stuffed toy as well as the pacifier from the crib. Stiles feels wrung out enough for a nap, but he knows daddy won't put him down yet. It's almost dinner time anyway, so going to sleep now wouldn't make any sense. He puts the pacifier in his mouth when they get downstairs, though it's clipped onto the front of his shirt. Just in case.

When he spots uncle Peter in the living room, miserable tears prick at his eyes again. He was so stupid for kicking his uncle. It must've hurt him a lot when he did that. When they get close enough, he reaches for his uncle who scoops him easily up. His dummy drops out of his mouth, lower lip trembling.

'' 'M sorry, unca P,'' he says tearfully. '' 'M not supposed to kick. Or cuss. Does unca hate me now?''

''Oh, pup,'' Peter sighs. ''Of course I don't. I love you, silly boy. And I'm sorry I got you upset. I didn't mean to make you sad. Forgive me, child.''

Stiles sniffles against the werewolf's throat. '' 'M sorry.''

''I'm sorry too, Stiles. Come on now, it's in the past. We have a rule in this house that if someone says or does something bad, they apologize, and they are forgiven, and then the things will be forgotten. No need to hang onto your guilt, child. We all make mistakes. You'll end up in the time out mat a lot in the future, and that's fine. As long as you know what you did wrong and you say sorry, you'll be forgiven.''

Sighing, he lets out a couple more sobs to empty his chest from the ugly feeling, and feels a lot lighter afterwards. He kisses Peter's cheek and says he's sorry one more time, and then daddy takes him back. 

''There,'' Derek says. ''Feel better?''

''Uh-huh,'' Stiles whispers. Daddy rubs at his back again. 

''Is my baby hungry?''

Stiles assesses his tummy. It still feels a little heavy, squirmy, like it's full of wriggling worms, always a side effect of getting upset. He shakes his head.

''Then how about this,'' Daddy suggests, ''We go into daddy's bedroom now, and you can lie on my chest and we'll both nap for a little while. Does that sound okay?''

''Yeah.'' He's never been to daddy's room. He thinks it's not because he's not allowed in there, but because Derek just hasn't thought of it. There are lots of rooms in the house that have dangerous things for little boys like Stiles to touch, so many of the doors he's never seen behind.

The Alpha's room is large, with the focus being the California King bed in the middle. It looks soft. Stiles kind of wants to burrow in it. Everything else is kind of in toned down colors, with the only decor being pictures all over the walls. Stiles can see himself in some of them, but most of them are of people he's never seen.

Daddy situates himself in the middle of the bed, pulling a blanket over them both when Stiles is comfortably wriggled into place. Derek starts to rumble deep in his chest, fully aware that it soothes Stiles like nothing else. 

So he was bad today. He got put in time out and he survived, and his family doesn't love him any less. It was one of the biggest fears he had, but now that he's past it, he goes lax against the Alpha. 

He's such a silly tiny boy. Of course daddy would still love him. And he loves daddy lots and lots too. 

 He can barely wait to sign the papers to fully give his body, mind and full autonomy to his daddy.

Daddy knows best, after all. 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter will be released in June/July. Thank you for everyone being so patient!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your patience!
> 
> I changed the chapter count from 3 to 4, due the reason that this AU has expanded a little too much, and the last chapter I had envisioned has grown in length which I haven't had time to write all of it, but you were asking for an update and I wanted to deliver. So there's one more chapter coming when I get the time to write it, and there's a draft of a sequel to this work, where we see Kate as a visible part of their everyday life. 
> 
> Not beta read.

Stiles is excited. He's revved himself up enough that he's already squirming awake just after five am. It's mere two days before the appointment with Dr. Castillo. In that meeting, both him and his daddy will finally sign the official contracts of the adoption.

And his death certificate.

Daddy had sat him down yesterday and finally disclosed Stiles the information regarding the final process of this all. For the human society, Stiles must become invisible, unreachable and non-existent. To ensure his safety. All of his past debts, doctor's statements, social security number. . . All of it must be erased and not a single trace of Mieczysław Stilinski can be left behind.

That way he can start his life from a completely clean slate, and be Derek's in everything he is.

Of course, he won't remain completely out of the reach of humans. He'll be created a new social security number, as well as other little nuances, say, his birth certificate. This time he just will be called Sebastian Hale(close enough that they can still call him Stiles), and his documents will prove that he's under Derek's authority, a part of his family. He isn't completely aware of all that goes down in the end, but he knows at least that they'll have to fake some accident and take a sample of his blood and DNA to prove that it truly had been him to die, should anyone start asking questions.

Stiles honestly doesn't think there's anyone that would.

He gets now why there's a month trial period. He's not sure that the four weeks is even enough for such a permanent decision to be made. But the system seems to have worked for years, so who is Stiles to judge? He's just happy he won't have to wait for longer than that. Letting someone control your life, have you completely to their mercy, and have that someone be a relative stranger may seem scary for most.

Luckily, Stiles has the most best daddy in the world so he's not at all worried.

Energy bubbles just beneath the surface, ready to burst, and Stiles manages to roll himself up and sitting. He grins. Daddy has told him not to stand in his crib, afraid that it might topple down (that's a lie. It's bolted down on the floor and it's very, very heavy) but this time he's way too eager to face the day that he hoists himself up by taking support from the rail.

Lately his legs have been feeling more and more like jelly whenever he exerts himself too much. It makes it a lot harder to stay upright in a standing position so he has to grip the rail tightly to make sure he won't fall on his butt.

It was his daddy's idea. To have Stiles not walking, and just let him be carried everywhere. If he's feeling stubborn enough, he likes to crawl into places, but standing is almost impossible now. It's got something to do with the drinks daddy mixes him sometimes. The Alpha had probably told him about the process, about how he was going to start working on deteriorating his leg muscles, but honestly, his ADHD makes it hard for him to focus on what people are saying. His meds help, and he knows he's getting them, but sometimes the buzzing in his mind is too loud. Concentrating on people's words becomes difficult, and even when he realizes he's zoned out,  he can't force himself to make the sentences make sense.

It was why he had so little friends. People were constantly criticizing him for not 'listening enough', for not trying harder to memorize things and about him being generally fidgety. But he can't help those things. It's his brain that's doing all that and he can't really control it.

Daddy, on the other hand, doesn't reprimand him for being in constant motion. Doesn't mind repeating things over and over for his buzzing mind to catch everything, and becomes insanely patient whenever he hyper focuses on something and can't tear himself away.

His grin widens, and he rocks himself on his heels a little.

''Daddy!'' He chirps.

Daddy hadn't been home for bedtime. He'd been doing something adults do, and Peter had put him down for the night. Uncle can't do the voices properly though, so Stiles had just settled at being petted to sleep. That's always great too.

Now in the morning, the sun peeking sleepily from behind the curtains, the traces of slumber have completely evaporated from his mind and all he wants is daddy.

And cuddles. But that usually comes with daddy automatically.

The door starts creaking open and he jumps a little up and down in excitement. Daddy blinks, rubbing at his eyes when he enters, hair messy and cheeks creased with pillow stains.

Stiles loves him so _so_ _much_.

''Daddy, is'a morning.''

The Alpha chuckles. ''Not quite yet, pup,'' he rasps, and comes to hoist Stiles up into his arms.

''But,'' Stiles says, confused, ''The sun is up so peoples have to be up.''

''Only overeager cubs and birds are the ones chirping up so early.''

Stiles pouts, inhaling his daddy's sleep mussed scent. It's musky and strong and he loves it. He has a single moment of regret that he's wearing his jammies where the Alpha is shirtless, blocking him from having skin to skin contact with the man.

''How about this,'' the Alpha rumbles, ''You can come to bed with me and we'll catch a few more z's.''

''But daddyyy -''

The man lifts a brow and Stiles quiets. ''But before that, daddy will make you feel really nice so you'll be relaxed enough. Daddy isn't trying to be cruel. I know you're happy about our appointment, but sleep-deprived Stiles will be a cranky Stiles, and that usually results to corner time.''

Stiles sighs. It's all true. He's wide awake _now_ , and has energy _now_ , but when he gets low later on, he gets upset really fast about perfectly mundane things.

''Mm'kay,'' he agrees. Daddy kisses his temple, praises falling from his lips.

For some reason, both Derek and Peter really love to praise him for agreeing with them, for taking a bottle without fuss, for not being able to _walk_ on his own. Even when he gives temper tantrums (two so far, he's super embarrassed about them now) both of them are patient, and he's showered with affectionate words whenever his punishment is over.

Maybe it's part of their plan to let Stiles just be him, bouts of anger and all. Babies aren't happy all the time he guesses, and that makes him feel marginally better.

Daddy lays them both down on the bed. He undresses Stiles to completely bare, throwing his (still dry) diaper in the trash. He gets up just to get a fresh one to have close by and then settles next to where Stiles is on his back, intensely following his daddy's movements.

''There's my baby boy,'' daddy murmurs warmly. Stiles smiles at him, squirming onto his side so he can burrow into the warmth of the werewolf. He hadn't known werewolves ran hotter than humans, and the revelation of that little tidbit had Stiles want to forgo his blanket and just never let daddy go.

The Alpha brings his hand down to Stiles arm, caressing it, making Stiles shiver in pleasure. The hand wanders, carefully mapping the curve of Stiles' side, his hipbone, his thigh. He immediately gets excited, happy moans leaving his mouth as daddy rubs at the globe of his bottom cheek. He gets hard super fast whenever daddy touches him with intent.

''Is my baby going to be good for daddy?''

''Uh-huh,'' Stiles moans, '' 'm your good boy.''

Derek chuckles. ''Yes, yes you are. And good boys get rewarded so handsomely.'' The man comes to gently rub at Stiles dick, ghosting against the head of it, and Stiles' grip on daddy's arm tightens.

''Tha's - feels good, daddy,'' he pants, and daddy immediately takes the hot length into his palm, tightening his hold on it. He squeezes it gently, giving it a couple dry jerks which have Stiles wiggling his hips to meet with the movements.

''Daddy has a surprise for my little one,'' the Alpha murmurs against his temple, and Stiles peeks one eye open, unsure when he'd closed them.

''For Stiles?''

''Mm. Wait here.''

The man leaves the bed, leaving Stiles laying there, hard and naked. He desperately wants some friction, but babies aren't supposed to touch their pee-pees. That was one of the rules. So he holds himself back, letting his legs spread more widely, gently touching his own inner thighs. He figures he can get away with at least that much.

Daddy is thankfully fast. When he comes back, there's something small and purple in his hand, and Stiles furrows his brows in confusion. The Alpha shows the item to him when he crawls back up the bed, and Stiles gasps a little.

It's a bullet vibrator.

''Does my lovely boy want daddy to play with toys to make him feel good?''

Stiles moans, biting his lip and nodding enthusiastically. He's had vibrators before. Or, vibrating dildos. Daddy says little boys can't have anything up their butts but suppositories when they're sick, so his little knowledge of sex toys other than dildos is pathetically small.

There are three settings on the toy, and daddy clicks the first button, making it vibrate. Then he brings it against Stiles' inner thigh, testing it. Stiles giggles.

''Feels funny,'' he says, and Derek chuckles.

Stiles moves his hands so that daddy can bring the toy further up, caressing his skin. The closer he gets to Stiles' groin, the hotter Stiles' face gets. When the buzzing slides against the crease of his groin, Stiles makes tiny little helpless noises. It feels amazing. Daddy takes his time, covering as much of the skin surrounding Stiles' dick, ghosting near it, teasing him.

''Daddy, please - '' Stiles cries, arching against the toy and Derek's hand, his legs spreading wider as he tries to get more skin contact. Daddy's response is to take the toy away for a second, making Stiles whine with loss. But then the Alpha comes back, taking a moment to lick the head of Stiles dick that's leaking pre-come and is starting to look really red.

''Hn ah ah ah - Daddy!''

Derek sucks the length into his mouth, taking him all the way to the root and presses the vibrator against Stiles' balls. Stiles lets out a long moan, muscles twitching with the effort of not bucking up into daddy's hot mouth and just take his pleasure. He promised he'd be good and daddy always gives the best orgasms if he lets himself just be malleable and pliant.

''More daddy,'' he pleas, and daddy switches the vibrator up a notch.

It makes him arch his back, grasping at the sheets closest to him. Daddy's reaction is to suckle the head of his dick before swallowing the whole length in his mouth. Daddy's free hand, the one not teasing his balls with the powerful vibrations, wanders against his skin, finding his nipple and pinching it.

''Nnhah, _daddy_ \- '' Stiles garbles out, having had no idea how sensitive his nipples were. Derek makes a pleased sound, releasing Stiles' cock with a pop, and comes to bring his mouth onto the other nipple, suckling and nipping and lavishing it with attention. Stiles can't do anything but writhe, hips trying to rub up to the sensations.

Then Derek snaps on the third setting, bringing the toy up to the slit of his cock, pressing it against the slobbering head, and Stiles can't.

''Daddy, I'm guh guhna - ''

''Come for me, Stiles. Come for daddy,'' Derek urges, and Stiles complies, ropes and ropes of white coating his stomach as he rides the blissful crescendo of his release.

He pants helplessly as the vibrator keeps buzzing against his softening dick, feeling sensitive and spent. He squirms, crying out when the last spurts of his orgasm are wrung out of his body by his daddy's deft hands.

The toy switches off. Stiles opens his eyes, trying to catch his breath, sweat dripping against his temple, and he sees Derek looking at him with an adoring expression.

''My beautiful boy,'' he murmurs, gentle fingers caressing his, no doubt, red flushed cheeks. He goes lax, giving his daddy a dopey smile back.

Daddy has to change the diaper twice, because the second the first one is put on him, Stiles empties his bladder. Daddy doesn't scold him, just looks at him fondly, letting Stiles drift off as he's scooped into the strong arms.

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles plays with Daddy's fingers while they wait. Uncle had to take his pet to the vet because she had suddenly become ill. Stiles isn't allowed to see her yet. He's not sure why, but if daddy says so, then who is Stiles to argue?

It's the day. _The Day_. With a capital D. Stiles hadn't wanted to go through the process without his whole family being present, so they've been sitting at the cafeteria of the clinic, waiting for Uncle Peter to come back. Stiles had gotten a sugar coated doughnut with strawberry jam inside. He's getting a little sugar high, his hands and mouth and clothes full of tiny white pearls of it. Daddy has been talking to another dad the whole time, allowing time to go much faster.

''Daddy,'' he says, offering his sticky fingers in daddy's face, ''sticky!''

Derek chuckles, taking a wet wipe from the table. ''Indeed you are. How on earth did you manage to get the sugar everywhere? Silly boy.''

He takes Stiles’ hand gently in his and starts wiping it down. The other wolf chuckles heartily at the scene, tapping at his phone. Stiles eyes him curiously, not sure why he’d struck up a conversation with his daddy, and wondering where his partner or human baby was. The man gives out slightly creepy vibes, his eyes an eerie blue.

He doesn’t have time to mull the man’s intentions over much longer because he spots Uncle Peter hurrying inside from the double doors, gaze searching around the room. Stiles grins brightly and lifts his both hands in the air, dislodging his daddy’s grasp and yells, ‘’Uncle!’’

Peter immediately zeroes his eyes on Stiles and a wide smiles spreads on his face. He comes closer, arms stretched to scoop Stiles into them. It makes Stiles laugh, his arms embracing uncle’s neck tightly, ducking his head against the wolf’s throat. ‘’Uncle Peter, you came!’’

‘’Of course I would come, silly prince. It’s our big day after all,’’ Peter murmurs warmly against Stiles’ head. One of his hands sneaks to rub up and down Stiles’ back, and Stiles can’t do anything but go lax with pleasure.

‘’It was good meeting you,’’ Derek says as he stands up, extending his hand towards the strange wolf. The man nods, taking the offered hand and they shake on it. Peter frowns at the interaction but doesn’t say anything.

Daddy shoulders the diaper bag. ‘’Ready to register in?’’

Peter nods, hefting Stiles just a teeny bit more up. ‘’No time to get a coffee?’’

‘’You make it sound like I don’t know you at all,’’ Daddy says, and lifts up the still steaming cup of cappuccino he’d gotten for uncle. Stiles feels the older wolf huff affectionately.

‘’I’m sorry I ever doubted you.’’

It makes Derek snort, and Stiles hides his smile. They make their way to the information point and register in. Stiles lets Peter carry him, resting his chin on uncle’s shoulder so he can see the people milling around.

‘’How’s Kate doing?’’ Daddy asks. Stiles perks his ears and listens.

Peter sighs. ‘’She’s got a fever. Urethritis too. Just a passing cold, the doctor said, but knowing her, she’ll exploit this weakness to no end.’’

‘’Well,’’ Daddy says evenly, ‘’She’s going to be sorely disappointed if she thinks the doctor’s office is a place she could escape from. Where’d you leave her?’’

‘’At the center. They know her there, used to her tricks, so she’s being carefully monitored. It’s how I got here so fast. They immediately took her in since they know we have a new baby in the house.’’

Not able to see it, but Stiles can almost _hear_ it in daddy’s tone, the way he raises his eyebrow in amusement when he says, ‘’Someone’s been bragging around town, huh?’’

Peter shrugs, making Stiles jiggle a little in his hold, and says, ‘’Our little prince surely is worth bragging about.’’

‘’True,’’ Derek concedes fondly.

They park themselves on a familiar bench. There are even more people around now than there was when Stiles was here for the first time, and when they came the second time because of his tummy problems. There’s another baby like Stiles sobbing on another bench ten feet from them, the mother shushing them desperately. The baby keeps rejecting the dummy they’re presented and just shakes their head, wailing. Stiles stares at them, feeling sympathetic. The baby acts the way Stiles felt when his tummy just wouldn’t settle. It was awful.

They wait, Peter and Derek conversing lightly, both of them finding different parts of Stiles’ body they pet every couple minutes. Peter keeps rubbing his neck and scalp, the other hand moving in circular motions over his lower back. Daddy changes between touching and rubbing at Stiles’ arm and the soles of his feet, or caressing his cheek whenever he peeks at him from under uncle’s chin. It’s nice. Stiles loves it.

‘’Hale?’’

Both wolves spring up, extending their hands to Dr. Castillo. She smiles warmly at them and offers them to step inside.

The office hasn’t changed at all. Again, Derek takes a seat on the sofa, this time with the added security of Peter sitting next to him. Daddy takes him from uncle and transfers him to sit on his lap instead. Stiles takes his dummy and sticks it in his mouth.

‘’Hello again, Mr. Hale. And Stiles,’’ Dr. Castillo opens with. Then she smiles, leveling a look over to uncle, ‘’And you must be Peter Hale, Derek’s uncle.’’

‘’Guilty as charged,’’ Peter says, winking.

A little amused, Dr. Castillo nods. ‘’I’ve heard a lot of good things about you two in the community. And the happiness this little one is exuding gives me the reassurance that the rumors aren’t completely wrong.’’

‘’We do our best. And Stiles has been nothing but wonderful. We’re lucky I decided to adopt when I did.’’

‘’Indeed,’’ Dr. Castillo says. ‘’There were quite a few people in line for Stiles. Even one of our own staff was considering adopting him. But it seems like the waiting list for him is on the verge of getting nulled..?’’

Derek’s arms tighten around Stiles. ‘’Definitely. We’re here to complete the process. Stiles won’t ever have to worry about not having a family anymore.’’

Dr. Castillo claps her hands together. ‘’That is absolutely marvelous news. I’m so happy things worked out. I know when Stiles came in, he was skittish and afraid, weigh index scaling on the rather underweight side.’’ She takes a medical file she’d laid on the table and starts reading it. ‘’He was also malnourished and showing signs of depression, as well as social anxiety.’’

Derek nods. ‘’He’s still anxious in social situations, especially if it’s a new environment, but he’s warmed up a lot to us two at least.’’

‘’I think it’ll take awhile for him to get to know to new people, like your pack and your neighbours and the people in the community, but you can take it slow and steady. Rushing him will most likely make his anxiety worse.’’ The doctor flips to another page. ‘’Good news is, in the four weeks Stiles has stayed in your care, he’s started to gain a little weight. We were slightly worried when he first came in.’’

‘’We’ve been feeding him proteins and supplements in his milk. We also give him solid food, rice and vegetables and such,’’ Daddy explains.

Stiles starts to drift off when the conversation continues. They’re talking about him like he’s not even there, and it kind of makes Stiles feel really small. In a good way. Small and precious.

It’s after awhile that the talking ceases and Stiles rouses back to awareness. The sugar had made him surprisingly sleepy. Or perhaps it was the bottle of milk his Daddy had fed him. He blinks at Derek when the wolf leans him out of the protective hold and looks him in the eyes.

‘’Baby? Are you awake?’’

Stiles nods in confirmation, sucking at his dummy. Derek smiles. ‘’That’s good. I need you to listen to daddy for a moment, okay?’’

He nods again.

‘’Daddy and uncle have to go sign some papers. It’s a bit of a process, and it’ll take a long while. In the meantime, baby has to go with Dr. Castillo, okay? They want to make sure you’re okay.’’

Stiles’ eyes widen, his hands tightening in Derek’s shirt. He opens his mouth and drops his pacifier, giving a scared, ‘’No, daddy! I don’t wanna go!’’

Daddy shushes him gently. ‘’It’s alright little one. It’s just for a little while. Daddy promises nobody is going to hurt you, and daddy and uncle won’t leave without you. Okay?’’

‘’No, daddy, please!’’

‘’Ssh, ssh, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay, Stiles. We have to do this, remember? So that we can go back home and finally be a _proper_ family. You’re going to be completely mine. We’re finally going to be able to go to the local aquarium, remember? And the shopping center and the park and the beach, all of the places I told you about.’’

‘’But, but - ‘’ Stiles sobs, lip wobbling, tears gathering in his eyes. _Daddy wouldn’t leave him here alone, right?_

‘’I know it’s going to be scary, baby. I know. But you’re going to have to be brave for daddy, okay? Just this once. Just this one time, and all the times next to that, daddy won’t leave your side even if you wanted to.’’

‘’I never want daddy to go away,’’ Stiles whimpers, clutching at the alpha. He’s rewarded with kisses all over his face, his daddy smiling brightly.

‘’And I never will. Just this one time, baby boy, will you be brave for daddy?’’

Whining, Stiles shakes his head vigorously, but he already knows he will. Game’s over. He’s always going to try and be good for daddy.

‘’Oh, sweet little one,’’ Peter murmurs, pressing a kiss on top of Stiles’ head and squishes him between Derek and himself. ‘’It’ll be over far before you even notice. And after we’re ready and you’ve been such a good boy with the nurses, we’ll take you somewhere special.’’

Stiles sniffs pitifully. ‘’Batman stickers?’’

Derek huffs a laugh. ‘’That we can definitely manage.’’

Peter grins too. ‘’I was thinking of stopping my a McDonalds, but yes, Batman stickers can be arranged too.’’ Uncle regards him for a few seconds. ‘’You really will be alright, Stiles. I promise we will come get you when this dumb adult stuff is off the table.’’

‘’I promise too,’’ daddy says, and Stiles sighs wetly.

‘’Mkay,’’ he says miserably. ‘’But daddy hasta kisses me a lot. Uncle too.’’

‘’For my brave boy,’’ daddy whispers, ‘’anything I can possibly offer, it’s yours.’’

 

 

When Stiles finally sees daddy and uncle coming through the doors, he’s on the verge of just flat out falling asleep where he sits. His cheeks are red and flushed, eyes puffy with still wet tear tracks cooling down on his cheeks.

It had been awful. The nurses had asked all sorts of bad questions that had pushed the baby mindset of his off kilter. They’d asked of his past relationships, jobs, schools, asking if Derek or Peter had abused him in any way, if he was coerced to only say positive things about his caretakers.

When they’d examined his body for bruises, stripping him of his comfortable jammies and diaper, touching him in very inappropriate places, Stiles had started crying. It had been terrible and scary. Since daddy has been giving him the medicine to limit his muscle movements in his legs, he’d had nowhere to escape when the bad nurses had started manhandling him.

Their touches had been clinical and perfunctory, but it still made him feel violated in a way. It was nothing compared to what strange men he’d hooked up in back alleys of nightclubs, but it did rate high on his list of ‘horrible things he never wants to think about again’.

When daddy sees him, his expression going from happy to concerned, Stiles crumbles again. Heavy sobs start from deep in his chest, fresh tears dripping down his face as he reaches for Derek. The man scoops him up as he gets close enough, his Alpha red eyes shining brightly. Stiles feels the subvocal snarl rumbling in Derek’s chest and he presses himself against it, finally feeling safe again. There’s no place more secure than Daddy’s arms.

‘’What happened?’’ Peter asks, seeing as Derek is sporting sharp canines in his mouth, preventing clear speech.

One of the nurses rushes over, explaining them what the exam had included. None of the wolves look happy about the information, Derek even less so, if the way he’s tightening his embrace on Stiles is anything to go by, but they probably knew something along the lines would happen. It’s the reason the baby is separated from the parents when they decide to continue the adoption process, to make sure any kind of abuse will be detected early on, and the baby not being given to a family that would hurt their fragile human members. It takes effort, but daddy curbs his shift back, finding his words to comfort.

Daddy starts rocking to and fro, shushing Stiles gently, rubbing at his back. Stiles keeps crying, unable to curb down the wretched feeling. ‘’Ssh, shh, my perfect little boy. It’s all over. It’s okay. Daddy’s here now. Nobody is going to touch you again like that, not ever. I’m here. You’re safe.’’

‘‘Don’t go!’’ Stiles sobs. Derek’s shirt dampens with his tears and snot where he’s pressing his face in it, but daddy doesn’t seem to mind.

‘’Ssh, sh, daddy isn’t going anywhere. Not ever again. We’re going home now, and we’re going to have a bath and eat and play and celebrate this day. How about some strawberry ice cream, pup? Would you like that?’’ When Stiles is too busy crying to answer, Derek just nods decisively.

‘’Ice cream it is. Let’s go, Peter. We’re done here, I assume?’’ He directs the last words to the nurse, who just nods hastily.

Efficiently, daddy packs them into the car, standing outside only long enough for Stiles to cry himself into an exhaustion. Instead of taking the driver’s seat, Derek sits beside the booster seat, wiping gently Stiles’ red and salty cheeks and holding his hand as they drive back, slipping back his pacifier into his mouth whenever Stiles drops it.

He doesn’t even get to see the sign of the promised McDonald’s before Stiles is out like a light.

 

There are light kisses being pressed all over Stiles’ cheeks. He grumbles, scrunching his eyes tighter shut, giving a few sucks on his comforting pacifier. He hears a chuckle, and then he’s being lifted and then settled against a firm, warm chest, blocking the wind that briefly blows on his face. Snuggling closer without opening his eyes, he recognizes it. It’s daddy, of course.

The alpha chuckles, closing a door which Stiles assumes is the car door, and begins to walk. Stiles sighs happily, even if his eyes feel crusty and tender, cheeks aching.

‘’We’re home, baby boy,’’ Daddy murmurs.

Stiles blinks, slowly, taking in the familiar house and the yard. Huh. He must’ve been really out of it if he stayed asleep the whole car ride back without any of daddy's special calming juice. He sucks the dummy, and makes a sleepy sound.

‘’Mm, I know,’’ Derek soothes. ‘’You must be hungry by now, hm? And daddy really needs to change your diaper. Our perfect little prince made daddy so proud during the ride home!’’

Now that Derek mentions it, Stiles can feel the cold, wet diaper pressing against his bottom. His face scrunches up in discomfort. Daddy always changes him before anything cools down, and now he understands why. It’s really, really uncomfortable, and it makes him feel dirty.

He’s immediately taken upstairs, Derek carefully sliding him down on the changing table. He strips Stiles quickly, but decides that he needs a bath rather than using just wet wipes. Going by the stink which makes Stiles’ cheeks heat up, he agrees.

The alpha keeps up a quiet stream of inconsequential things, for once, speaking for both of them. Stiles just lets his body be moved in any way daddy pleases, his tired mouth occupied with his dummy. He doesn’t think he wants it out of his mouth today at all. He feels raw after crying for so long, from the horrible day he had.

Derek keeps shushing him whenever he gets too deep into his awful thoughts, soothing him with gentle touches, even going as far as taking a bath with Stiles himself, holding him close in his lap. The alpha murmurs something about replacing the irritating scent of the clinic with his own tonight, thoroughly making sure no bad smells will linger and the frightful memories will be made to disappear. Stiles likes it. He can still feel the phantom touches, though with every rub of his daddy’s big hand, he feels like nothing can harm him, and all scary things daddy will roar away.

He sighs through his nose and presses it against Derek’s jaw in a silent thank-you. Daddy gets delighted by the action, which makes Stiles feel warm in his chest.

Stiles pouts a little when he realizes he won’t be getting McDonald’s after all, the kitchen occupied by Peter cooking when they get there. But he gets his Batman stickers, and daddy dressed him in Batman jammies, mollifying his moping.

Besides. Peter is a fantastic cook. Even the most bland looking meals Stiles gets, they always taste divine. In fact, both wolves are great at making food. Stiles thinks it might be because of their heightened senses. It would make a lot of sense.

He does get strawberry ice cream. With real strawberries. Chewing seems pretty hard work though, so when all he does is put the pieces of strawberry in his mouth without biting down on them, daddy takes them away and renders the ice cream and berries into a milkshake, after adding milk. Stiles really thinks daddy is magic.

 

 

Bedtime turns out to be a little different. Peter hauls down the mattress of Derek’s bed while daddy arranges the living room furniture just so that the bedding fits in the middle. Then they pile on top blankets and pillows before settling down, placing Stiles in the middle.

He looks up at the two faces peering down to his, blinking. Derek’s brows are slightly burrowed as he regards Stiles, and Stiles clumsily brings his hand to smooth the lines of his face. Daddy captures his hand and places a tender kiss on it.

‘’He’s been really silent since we came back,’’ Derek murmurs, concerned. Peter nods thoughtfully.

‘’Today might have been a little traumatic for him, I reckon,’’ uncle says, petting at Stiles’ side.

‘’Yeah,’’ Daddy murmurs, sighing. ‘’I had no idea they did that at the evaluation. The re-filled file was rather. . . Invasive in detail.’’ His tone becomes darker. ‘’If he ever has to go there again, I won’t let him out of my sight for a single second. What happened today won’t happen, ever again.’’

‘’I hear you,’’ Uncle murmurs.

‘’God, just look at him,’’ Daddy says, smiling when Stiles blinks up at him. ‘’Such a beautiful little pup. Aren’t you Stiles?’’

Not answering, Stiles just gives a couple sucks on his pacifier and closes his eyes. It makes daddy huff a chuckle, which in turn makes Stiles smile slightly behind his dummy. A happy daddy is the best daddy.

‘’Alright, baby,’’ Derek whispers. ‘’I love you. Go to sleep. We’ll see you in the morning.’’

Stiles does.

 

‘’Hey, baby boy,’’ daddy whispers, rousing Stiles awake enough to blink his eyes open. Derek’s face swims into view, blurry where sleep still crusts Stiles’ eyes.

‘’Hnng?’’ Stiles mumbles, his comforting pacifier no longer in his mouth.

‘’There you are,’’ Derek smiles, speaking softly. ‘’It’s time for little pups to get up.’’

Reaching for daddy, Stiles lifts his arms up. He smacks his lips, grunting with the effort of fighting against the last remains of sleep. It would be so, so easy to just fall back into warm slumber, let himself continue the dream he was having. There’s heaviness in his diaper though, which he wants to get off, so he lets daddy hoist him up in his strong arms.

The alpha is silent when he exits the living room and quietly traipses upstairs, and Stiles gazes fuzzily over Derek’s shoulder. He sees the tufts of Peter’s brown hair peeking from under the blanket, the beta having taken half of the bedding with him.

The house seems rather dark, and Stiles soon realizes it’s raining outside. The quiet pitter patter against the window lulls him into half slumber. Daddy doesn’t seem deterred at Stiles’ limp responses when the alpha lifts his limbs to get him cleaned and changed, but places kisses on his tummy and cheeks when he’s done.

Peter is still sleeping when they get back to the kitchen, and daddy seems inclined to let him be. Stiles is somewhat aware that Peter sleeps a lot less than him or Derek, but he’s not sure why that is. He just wants uncle to be happy and safe.

‘’Milk for my beautiful boy and coffee for daddy. Does Stiles want strawberry milk?’’

Nodding, he grips at Derek’s neck and sighs. ‘’No pur-ridge?’’

Daddy gives a small, rasping chuckle. ‘’I was thinking of scrambled eggs and bacon.’’

‘’Mkay,’’ Stiles agrees.

Daddy doesn’t put him down at all when he makes the breakfast. He holds Stiles up in one arm the whole time, careful near the stove. Stiles loves it. Derek’s body is warm enough that he doesn’t feel cold clad only in his daytime diaper. There are pillow creases on daddy’s face and on the right side of his torso, and Stiles follows the lines with his finger. Crinkles form into the sides of daddy’s eyes, which means he’s pleased with what Stiles is doing, probably trying not to smile, so he feels it’s safe to continue.

The bacon sizzles inside the oven, the pinks of the meat changing slowly color where they cook. The smell of it is enough to make his mouth salivate, even if he knows he’s only gonna be allowed one stripe of it, if that. Bacon is, after all, saturated with bad fats.

He frowns, thoughts suddenly going to his deceased father, the memories of trying to protect his health by cooking only low-fat foods. His heart twists at the sad recollection.

Daddy starts humming, swaying a little from side to side. It distracts Stiles from the brief trip to memory lane and he clutches at Derek’s shoulder.

‘’Daddy, ‘m gon’ fall,’’ he mumbles.

‘’Daddy won’t ever let my pup get hurt,’’ the alpha argues warmly. ‘’Instead, I have breakfast ready and am gonna feed that grumbling little tummy of yours. Maybe even save uncle Peter something, if he decides to ever rise from the dead.’’

There’s a growl from the living room. Stiles guffaws. Derek’s smile grows wider.

Everything’s settled on the table by the time Peter actually crawls from the temporary bed pit, hair sticking to his head on one side and spiking up on the other. Stiles gazes at him in amusement from daddy’s lap, sucking at the tip of his bottle. He got the strawberry milk after all, which he’s very happy about, even if the taste doesn’t really go well with the salty eggs and tiny pieces of bacon.

‘’Food?’’ Peter asks, sitting down, and Derek slides a cup of coffee in front of him.

‘’You’re up in dish duty,’’ he says, which uncle just nods to, his focus on inhaling the smell of coffee. ‘’You should also go pick up Kate when you have the time. I think Stiles needs some downtime for today, so we’ll be doing some quiet stuff, easy enough to wrangle your pet silently into her place.’’

‘’Yeah. Alright.’’

Stiles plants his bottle on the table and steals a piece of egg from his own plate, putting it in his mouth.

‘’We also have to go grocery shopping. I’ve got enough things in the refrigerator to last a day, but tomorrow the latest, we have to go pick some things up.’’

‘’Mm,’’ Peter hums. ‘’We could take Stiles with us tomorrow. Show him around a little.’’

Daddy contemplates this as he wipes a piece of bacon from Stiles’ chin, offering it up to his mouth. Stiles looks serenely back at Derek, licking the small piece away.

‘’Yeah,’’ daddy says slowly, ‘’Why not. Try out small. Though I think we should do it somewhere early morning when there’s less people milling around. Lest we overwhelm him.’’

Peter shrugs. ‘’You’re probably right. Taking a day-trip to the mall might be slightly excessive.’’

Daddy grimaces. ‘’Definitely. Everyone would want to come and say hello, and he hasn’t even met our pack yet. Slow and steady is better.’’

Stiles takes grabs his bottle again and takes a sip. Some dribbles down his chin and into the plastic bib that Derek had wrapped around his neck.

‘’We should let him meet our pack though. Soon. Everyone is getting really antsy about not having met him, even when they can smell his scent on us.’’

Derek nods, shifting a little and taking a sip of his own coffee. Stiles side-eyes it, knowing it must’ve cooled down by now. Daddy is so weird.

‘’Erica is the most anxious about it. She’s been sleeping in the backyard for a week now.’’

Peter agrees. ‘’I saw Boyd taking her home last night when we came back. It’s hard on her for not getting to spend time with us, too apart from her alpha.’’

Stiles feels the alpha sigh under him, and he lets go of the tip of the bottle with a plop to plant a sloppy kiss on daddy’s neck. Derek’s hand comes to card through his hair and he smiles down at Stiles, giving him a kiss on the cheek as thanks.

‘’It’s been a year now. I hope she’ll shift back to human after she gets to know Stiles. He could easily teach her the positives of being a human again.’’

‘’You know the epilepsy scares her more than anything. As a wolf, she’s the least susceptible for an attack like that again.’’

Tightness forms onto Derek’s features. ‘’I know. I promised she’d never have to go through an episode ever again if she was to be a werewolf, before I turned her. And I failed that promise.’’

Peter rolls his eyes. ‘’You know as well as I do that they were extenuating circumstances. We had no idea hunters were on our trail, and that suppressing the healing factor enough could revert her back to her human illness. If there was anything to be forgiven, she has by now, but we all know she isn’t blaming you for anything. If her way to cope with her trauma is to be in her full shift, let her. It helped us both back then, did it not?’’

There’s a moment of silence before daddy accepts defeat. ‘’It did help. And after Laura. . . I understand why Erica likes to be engulfed in that protective layer of wolf skin, but the longer she stays in that mindset, the harder it will be to adjust back to society.’’

Stiles abandons the milk again in favor of daddy’s bacon. He’s too occupied in the conversation, so Stiles easily slips two whole strips and stuffs them into his mouth.

‘’We’re still going to love her, even if she wouldn’t ever become a human again. Boyd has, and will, let her stay as his pet for as long as she wants. There are lots of pets, human and wolf alike, in our community. We have money to upkeep her. So why worry?’’ Peter asks.

Daddy seems to take this point as valid, because his focus comes back to his plate. His half empty plate, which it wasn’t a couple minutes ago. Stiles chews faster, cheeks bulging with the food. Derek’s gaze zeroes onto his mouth immediately, mouth parting in surprise.

‘’You little miscreant,’’ daddy says, shocked, which makes Peter snort in delight. ‘’You ate daddy’s food, even though your own plate is more than half full.’’

Stiles blinks at him innocently. He swallows and grins. ‘’ ‘s good daddy! You’re too slow.’’

Derek splutters a little uncharacteristically, eyes wide. Peter hides his face behind his hands, but Stiles can see the wolf’s shoulders shaking in silent laughter. He chances a quick look to his daddy and offers his own plate, where there are only eggs left, as an exchange and apology for the eaten bacon.

‘’Here daddy,’’ he slides it over, ‘’You can ‘ave mine.’’

Regaining composure, Derek shakes his head. ‘’I can make some more. You eat it all up now, since you’ve taken some liberties in taking from daddy’s portion. And if my baby boy gets a tummy ache later, you’ll know the next time to eat only what daddy gives you.’’

Stiles nods, though he leaves the plate on Derek’s side, and drinks the rest of his milk. He figures if he stalls enough, he won’t have to eat the rest after all.

 

There’s a slight lull in activities after breakfast. The wolves clean up the temporary bed from the livingroom floor, arranging the furniture back in their places, Stiles playing with playdough in the corner. Daddy had fished his pacifier from somewhere, Stiles happily sucking on it while he concentrates on making animals from the plasticine. They look more like colorful, oddly shaped lumps rather than the mammals he intends them to be, but Stiles has never been an artist. He likes books more. Thankfully, daddy has caught up on that, letting Stiles pick up a book which he then slowly reads aloud for him. They’re half-way through deep ocean fishes. It’s super entertaining.

Peter leaves at some point, and daddy has hauled his computer to the living room to spend time with Stiles, but giving him the freedom of focusing on his work at the same time. Stiles is content enough with the dough.

‘’Stiles,’’ Derek interrupts his quiet musing after a long while, making him look up from his creations. Daddy scoops him up and shows him a corner in the living room he hasn’t ventured into yet, the space occupied mostly by books and plastic container boxes. Derek sits down with Stiles in his lap, dragging one of the black boxes more into the center of the floor. Interest piqued, Stiles cranes his neck to see inside.

‘’I know sometimes you get anxious about things,’’ the alpha starts gently, ‘’Embarrassed even. So when you have something on your chest that you, for any reason, can’t say out loud, me and Peter created this box.’’ He flips the lid open. Inside the box there are small blocks of words or alphabets, carved into pieces of wood.

‘’When that time comes, when you are lost for words or feel like you can’t tell anyone about what you’re feeling, I want you to use these.’’ He takes out a couple words, _love_ , _baby_ , _family_.

‘’With these, I want you to spell out on the floor what you want us to know. You can do it, and leave the blocks there for daddy or Peter to see, and when we’ve seen your thoughts, we’ll try to fix whatever it is that is wrong. I hope there aren't too many things which you’re too scared to ask about or ask for, but I want to give you these, so that you know you have a way of communicating with us, even when you don’t do it to our face. Does that sound fair?’’

Nodding enthusiastically, Stiles fishes out a couple words and lays them beside the blocks daddy had chosen. _Daddy_ , _happy_ , _zebra_.

It makes Derek huff a chuckle. He rifles through the box and finds appropriate vowels and words to complete their thought train. _Daddy love s his happy baby and family + zebra._

They conclude the word box a success.

The happy mood changes when there are the sounds of tires hitting the gravel and parking on the yard. Daddy scoops Stiles up, quickly opening the door in the laundry room, before he backpedals and gets them both upstairs. He puts Stiles to his crib, putting on soft music and giving him his stuffed toy, leaving with a kiss on his forehead. Stiles is confused, but he had been rather ready for a nap for awhile there, so he lets the music lull him into warm sleep.

He does hear some odd noises from downstairs after the front door is opened. Chalking it up to be his uncle and his pet, Kate, Stiles turns on his side and snoozes off.

  


Grocery shopping, Stiles decides, is fun. When he’d been alone and miserable in the human society, he’d thought the activity a boring, mandatory one. Something he did when he forced himself to, the memory of overly bright fluorescent lamps, stuffy air and unfriendly people shaping his opinion on the matter a rather negative one.

But with daddy, as predicted, everything is different. He doesn’t have to walk by himself, but gets to sit on the child seat in the shopping cart designed for human babies. They’re sturdy, and probably really heavy, but Derek steers the cart effortlessly, barely straining a muscle.

There’s a very, very faint music coming from the loud speakers on the ceilings. Stiles figures it’s loud enough to sound normal to a werewolf hearing, even if his poor human ears barely register the tunes.

There aren’t too many people hanging around. A couple people wave at daddy and him from distance, but they don’t approach at all, which he’s silently thankful for. It’s amusing to wave back though.

‘’Hmm, how about we get some watermelon? They’re pretty ripe right now. Does my little prince like watermelon?’’

Stiles nods enthusiastically. ‘’Pineapple!’’

‘’You want both?’’ Daddy asks, amused. He’s weighing the big melon in one hand, gazing at the whole pineapples at the same time. He doesn’t ask Stiles his opinion again though, but puts the fruit into the cart after weighing and coding it, and grabs a pineapple from the shelf. Stiles beams at him happily. He hasn’t eaten fruits since forever. With his student debt and the hospital bills of his mother and the funeral costs of his father, he really was living hand to mouth. That mostly meant cheap pasta and minced meat, or rice and canned tuna. Frozen broccoli, if it was on sale, would sometimes end up in his basket. He still liked it.

Suddenly a big man stands next to the cart, towering over Stiles. He blinks up at the man and then panics a little, realizing Derek wasn’t standing near him anymore.

‘’D-daddy?’’ he whispers, cringing away from the strange man. The man takes a couple steps back, as if realizing he’d scared Stiles, which, if he was a wolf which was quite probable, and lifts his hands in surrender.

‘’Derek is coming up right now,’’ the man says, lowly, soothing, making Stiles deflate a little in relief. As if summoned, daddy appears next to him, warm arm embracing around his shoulders, tugging him as close to daddy’s chest as the cart allows. Derek is calm though, almost radiating happiness when he sees who’s standing there, and Stiles relaxes fully.

‘’Boyd,’’ the alpha greets warmly. ‘’What are you doing here? I thought you said you were on morning shifts the whole week?’’

The man, Boyd, shrugs, stepping closer to Derek. ‘’Delivery. Figured I’d grab a lunch while I was out of the shop.’’

Derek lets go of Stiles and hugs Boyd tightly, subtly scenting him. Stiles watches, fascinated.

‘’Good. How are you holding up?’’

Some tension releases from Boyd’s shoulders and he heaves a long huff of breath. ‘’Better now.’’

Daddy gives the man a sympathetic look. ‘’Not much longer, now.’’ Then he turns to Stiles, smiling. ‘’Stiles, thips is my beta and my right hand, Boyd. Boyd, this is my baby, Stiles.’’

Boyd nods, something soft in his eyes as he gazes at Stiles’ from, and then looks at Derek in askance. The looks seems to register immediately because daddy comes to lift Stiles out of the chair and into his arms.

‘’Baby,’’ he starts, murmuring near Stiles ear, ‘’I need you to not freak out, okay?’’

A little wary, Stiles nods.

‘’I’m going to give you to Boyd now, so he can scent you as one of his pack, to get to know your scent to soothe his instincts. You know how I explained about that?’’

‘’Pack,’’ Stiles repeats quietly.

‘’Yes. Pack. You and me and Peter and Boyd. And a couple more. But right this second, us four. Do you think you could be good for daddy?’’

Shyly, Stiles gazes at Boyd’s sturdy form. The wolf probably won’t drop him, or hurt him, not while daddy is there. In actuality, the beta looks like he would never harm a fly. He looks more like a big, cuddly bear than a wolf. Stiles exhales, and then extends his arms for Boyd.

Boyd immediately moves forward to take Stiles into his arms. It’s a little scary, since the last time Stiles was handled by some other people than just daddy or uncle, everything had gone horribly wrong, but Boyd’s touch is gentle, the heat of his body pleasant in the cold supermarket air, and his chest is broader than daddy’s, giving him more room. It’s.. Nice.

The beta’s other hand that isn’t holding Stiles’ weight comes to rub slowly up and down his back and arms, the groove of his neck, the curve of his skull. The longer it goes on, the more content Stiles becomes. He's really taking the touching well. He didn't use to want people touching him more than they had to, but he's learning to love these affectionate petting sessions and being carried everywhere and staying seated on someone's lap.

Boyd's nose comes to inhale his hair, which tickles. Stiles squirms a little, grinning.

''He's cute,'' Boyd finally concludes, extracting Stiles' arms from his neck and offering him back to Derek.

‘’He is, isn’t he?’’ Daddy says, plopping Stiles back to the cart with a smooch on his cheek. ‘’He’s kind and thoughtful, but mischievous. There’s a surprising amount of character in him, which is refreshing.’’

Boyd gives him a long look before shrugging. ‘’Dunno. I don’t think it would be too surprising that you’re giving him the freedom to be who he is, rather than suppressing all of his personality which some people like to do to their babies.’’

‘’I would _never_ ,’’ daddy starts, horrified, but locks his mouth shut when a woman walks past.

‘’I know that,’’ the beta says placatingly, ‘’but a lot of wolves have different opinions about humans. You know how it is.’’

‘’Do I ever,’’ daddy mutters. ‘’All I want is for him and everyone else to be happy. If that means letting my baby sneak in a box of cherry tomatoes after already getting both watermelon and pineapple,’’ Stiles freezes in the middle of taking said tomatoes from the closest shelf, eyes wide, ‘’Then that’s exactly how I choose to operate.’’

The beta cracks a grin, which honestly transforms his whole face, Stiles notes a little awed, and daddy shakes his head fondly.

‘’Really. What am I going to do with you little miscreant? First my bacon and now this?’’

Wilting guiltily, Stiles looks down and away. Daddy takes the tomatoes and puts them into the cart. Boyd raises an eyebrow, smile growing wider.

‘’He took your _bacon_?’’

Derek nods sagely. ‘’Straight from my plate too. Didn’t even notice until this little chipmunk had his cheeks round with them.’’

Boyd whistles. ‘’I don’t think any of us would’ve done that, at least not without losing a finger or two.’’

Peeking from under his flashes, Stiles sees daddy’s canines lengthening. ‘’Stiles is the exception to the rule.’’

‘’I can see that,’’ the beta agrees, glancing at his clock and then sighing. ‘’I have to go. Work.’’

‘’Drive safe,’’ Daddy says, reaching to give one last squeeze to him. ‘’Also, we’re going to have a pack meeting this Saturday, to let everyone meet Stiles and get to know to him, so text me a time that works for you, and I’ll wrangle Peter and Isaac into line.’’

‘’Sure thing, boss,’’ Boyd says comfortably. He leaves with another wave, leaving Derek and Stiles alone.

There’s a single moment of silence when Derek looks after Boyd wistfully, clearly happy to reconnect with his pack after being apart for so long, before he turns back to Stiles.

‘’Cherry tomatoes, huh?’’

Stiles winces, fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt. He wonders if he should tell daddy, give him excuses as to why he’d like to pack the cart with _all_ the things, but it seems he doesn’t have to. Daddy just places another kiss on his cheek and starts wheeling the cart forward.

‘’Just wait until the honey pomelos are ripe and in sale. I won’t be able to get any groceries without you or Peter trying to sneak those into the bill.’’

Stiles nods. If daddy says so, then he reckons it must be right. So far, if he’s been told he won’t like something and he tastes it anyway, he finds out that he _really does not_ like the thing. And when daddy tells him he’ll _love_ something, he’s still surprised just how much he’ll like the thing. He has no idea how Derek can be so intuitive in certain areas, but he’s not one to complain. Now he just can’t wait to actually taste the honey pom-whatever.

For such a short list that they left home with, their cart is packed full at the end of the trip. Derek got lost in the human baby section and ended up getting a bunch of stuff he tried on Stiles. He got pink banana socks when he fiddled with them, and tried on three different jammies, two pants and four shirts, all of which made their way into the cart.

On top of it all, Derek found a couple books he wanted to read, and couple toys for Stiles. He hasn’t let go of the Transformers Bumblebee figure since daddy laid it on his lap. It’s gonna be his favorite _forever_.

When they cash themselves out, Stiles can’t even look at the end number. The sheer amount of stuff they’ve hoarded just in a single shopping is more than Stiles has bought himself in the past year _alone_.

At home he immediately gets treated to the pineapple, stuffing his face with it. The fruit tingles in his mouth, making it feel a little raw after he finishes his portion. Daddy makes an odd face at that, sensing something Stiles doesn’t, but stays quiet.

‘’I told Boyd we’d be having a pack night on Saturday.’’

Peter grunts in a lieu of an answer.

‘’He’ll let me know his schedule, so whenever the time appropriate for him is, I’d be happy if you’d be here then.’’

‘’Of course I’ll be here,’’ Peter says. ‘’This is us introducing a new pack member. Everyone needs to be present.’’

Derek sighs in relief. ‘’Good. You’re still a little evasive towards pack nights sometimes, so..’’

‘’You know the reasons. I wouldn’t miss this one for anything, dear nephew.’’

Stiles clambers into Peter’s lap, showing his new toy. Peter’s expression softens and he nods approvingly.

‘’Besides. We both need to be present to anchor our littlest one here.’’

Derek comes to sit down beside his uncle on the floor, gently grabbing at Stiles’ wiggling limbs as he tries to be on both wolves laps on the same time. Stiles loves cuddle time. He loves it the best when he gets to do it with daddy, but uncle Peter will always be number two.

‘’He took to Boyd rather well. I’m hoping he’ll like the others too. Especially Erica. She needs someone who to cuddle with, who doesn’t constantly smell of worry.’’

Peter snorts. ‘’Only you do, nephew. And perhaps Isaac.’’

Shrugging, Derek forces Stiles to fall on his lap, securing him against his chest. ‘’Maybe so. I’m fairly certain though, that things’ll go smoothly. Stiles didn’t get upset even once during our grocery run. He’s gotten more brave.’’

‘’Or maybe he’s just relying on the fact that you won’t ever let harm befall upon him. It’s hist trust in _you_ that makes him brave.’’

Daddy’s cheeks pinking, Stiles plants a delighted kiss on one of them. ‘’Love you, daddy,’’ he says, because uncle is right. Stiles has courage when Derek is near him. He is his roof over his head, the shelter around his heart, and the indestructible core which he can always rely on.

‘’Love you too, baby boy,’’ daddy hugs him tightly. Peter makes a face like, _‘See_?’ and  daddy rolls his eyes.

‘’How does my baby feel about meeting the pack this weekend?’’

‘’Pack?’’

‘’Yes, little one. You get to finally meet the rest of your family,’’ Peter nods, relaxing against the side of the sofa.

‘’Family is good,’’ Stiles says decisively. He nuzzles into Derek’s neck. ‘’Family makes daddy happy.’’

‘’Yeah, pup,’’ daddy agrees softly. ‘’Family makes me very, very happy. _You_ make me very happy.’’

Warmth spills in Stiles’ chest at the words and he hugs his daddy tighter. It’s going to be exciting meeting the people Derek and Peter always keep talking about. Boyd was super cool and nice and gentle, and if the pack gives as great cuddles as he’s gotten so far, his new family is going to _rock_.

Stiles can hardly wait for the weekend to come.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This chapter turned out to be 20K, so sorry for all of you who have been waiting. I got carried away, ahahahaha. Oops.
> 
> This chapter contains the pre-mentioned spanking all of you have read from the tags, so if it's a trigger for you, or just a squick, then when you see the sign **** that's your cue to jump onto the next, exactly same sign **** to skip over the scene. It's not too intense, not for me, but we're all different, so take care of yourself.
> 
> Please enjoy and thanks for sticking by me for so long!  
> As always, this has not been beta read, so pointing out mistakes or typos would be cool of you.

 

Stiles sucks happily at the nub of his milk bottle, feeling warm and protected in his daddy’s embrace. Derek is supporting his head, keeping the bottle tilted at the right angle just so, enabling Stiles to drink without any obvious effort. The wolf is conversing with Peter as he feeds Stiles, glancing down every now and then, smiling softly.

Daddy has swaddled him in tight today. He can’t move his feet much at all, his toes wiggling every once in awhile just to feel the protective layer of the fabric keeping him snuggly in place. At first when daddy had wrapped him up, Stiles had worried that his arms and legs would get tingly and numb without any room to move, but that’s not the case at all. He can wriggle and shift his weight with no problem, yet still revel in the tightness of the fabric keeping him bound securely.

‘’No, it’s alright,’’ Daddy says, as Stiles tunes back into the conversation. ‘’I can just take Stiles with me. The carts have baby boosters, and the last shopping trip went so well that I don’t think I’ll have any problems.’’

Peter makes a worried sound. ‘’That was a much shorter trip. You do realize we usually load up two carts worth of food during pack nights? It’s supposed to be a celebration of expanding the family. It would be an insult to both the pack and Stiles if we did anything less than a feast worthy of kings.’’

Daddy sighs. He shifts Stiles in his lap a little, leaning more against the couch cushions so that Stiles slides more firmly against the wolf’s front. ‘’I know,’’ he says. ‘’And I would love to put you on the run, let Boyd and Isaac help you, but all of us are busy with our jobs so that we can take the weekend off. Everyone except me. And I can’t just leave my baby in the house while I parade around the grocery store for a couple hours. It would be beyond irresponsible.’’

Pacing in front of them, Stiles sees his uncle frowning in agitation.

‘’Perhaps I could take him with me. I could--’’

‘’No, uncle Peter,’’ Daddy says patiently, shaking his head. ‘’Your job can be dangerous. I will not leave my precious little baby boy in nothing but safely secured premises. You cannot guarantee that, not one hundred percent.’’

Stiles sucks the last of his milk and makes a disappointed whine when the bottle goes empty. Derek immediately takes the bottle away and stands up, lifting Stiles upright, so that he’s leaning against Derek’s shoulder, his arm supporting Stiles’ weight effortlessly. Derek starts patting at his bottom in an attempt to urge Stiles to burp. 

Stiles sees that daddy actually forgot to put a cloth between his shirt and his shoulder, but he has managed to master the pavlovian response to the position and the gentle rubs against his back and butt, so before he can utter any sort of warning, he burps and spits some of the excess milk onto daddy’s unprotected clothes.

‘’Good boy, baby,’’ Derek praises, rocking him, uncaring of the milk spit that drools from Stiles’ mouth, down to his back. 

Peter sighs, rubbing his eyebrow in faint amusement before he turns and leaves the room. He comes back just as abruptly, carrying a fresh henley and a towel. Daddy nods his thanks as he keeps swaying to and fro.

After his stomach stops gurgling enough, daddy offers Stiles to Peter who takes him gently to his arms, his uncle wiping Stiles’ face with the sleeve of his knitted blazer. Derek changes his clothes, making a funny face as he strips his shirt that clings to his clothes. Then Stiles goes back to daddy’s embrace, snuggling close to his alpha’s masculine scent, and daddy sits back down on the sofa, with uncle joining him this time. When Peter comes to softly caress Stiles’ cheek, he flashes his uncle a blinding grin. 

‘’I suppose you’re right,’’ Peter says, offering an answering smile in return. ‘’Nothing but the safest place on earth is good enough for our little pup.’’

Daddy makes an approving sound. ‘’I’d leave him with Erica for babysitting, but if something happens, she won’t be able to help apart from dialing either of us. And if something  _ did  _ happen and Stiles got hurt, she’d feel guilty, and that might drive a further wedge between her humanity and her animal instincts.’’ 

Uncle blows a breath. ‘’True. I guess you’ll just have to drag poor pup around town then.’’ He thinks for a moment. ‘’How about you get as much as you can in a single trip, buy all of the perishable goods from the market and the butcher, and then we’ll divide the rest of the list between everyone else, and when people get done with work, they could go pick up the items left. That way we wouldn’t overwhelm just one person with a massive bill.’’

‘’Huh,’’ Daddy says, fingers brushing Stiles’ hairline affectionately, ‘’That might just work. I’d have to see what all I can manage to stuff inside my car with Stiles occupying one seat, because certainly I can buy more than just perishables, but whatever gets left behind, I’ll compile up and send to the group chat. You can discuss there what each of you are available to fetch.’’

Nodding, Peter says, ‘’That works. I still have some of those birthday banners from last year that just have the general ‘Congratulations!’ printed on the flags, so I can bring those over. And I think we stored the electric candles up in the attic, did we not?’’

‘’I borrowed those to Isaac for his disastrous date night, so you’ll have to ask him, but yeah, those are still somewhere around. Might need to buy a batch of new batteries for them though.’’

Peter stands up, gently brushing a hand over the top of Stiles’ head, making him stretch into it, before the man does the same to Derek, ruffling the alpha’s hair. Then he steps back. ‘’Okay. You do as much shopping as you can without overwhelming Stiles, and meanwhile I’ll try and go wrangle some mongrels in line. Send a group text when you’re ready, and I’ll try and come unload some of the things with you if I can get away for a moment.’’

Laughing, daddy stands up too and brings uncle to a brief hug, squishing Stiles pleasantly between them. ‘’I got it. Go on, go harass someone else for awhile. I’ll let you know once I’m out the store, so you have then around twenty minutes to get home.’’

Peter salutes them and leaves, the agitated frown lines smoothed out, a warm smile gracing his features. Stiles likes Peter best when he’s happy.

After Peter’s depart, daddy looks down at him and coos, ‘’Just you and me now, little one. How about we go take a little nap, and afterwards daddy will make you feel so good that cranky Stiles won’t appear even once during our shopping trip!’’

Stiles sighs happily, nuzzling the skin closest to his cheek, closing his eyes. It does sound good to him. Words are just a little far away for him right now, so instead of verbally responding, he just makes small, happy sounds of agreement. Daddy, of course, immediately understands, because daddy is the best.

‘’We’ll sleep in my bed. I can’t bare to put my perfect little boy into his crib. Daddy’s arms would feel so empty and cold. It would be too lonely with you so far away.’’ The wolf makes an exaggerated sad frown, placing a kiss on Stiles’ forehead. ‘’So you can nap with me under the blankets, and then, my perfect little boy, we’ll have so much to do today that this sort of quietness will only come again when it’s bedtime. Could we handle that, hm?’’

Stiles nods happily, wiggling a little. Daddy’s arms tighten a fraction around his smaller frame and he whispers reverently against Stiles’ shaggy mop of hair,

‘’Daddy is so proud of you, my sweetest one, you have no idea. I love you to the moon and back. No power on earth can ever separate you from me, no evil can shatter the happiness you bring me. For you are  _ mine _ ,” Stiles hears the fierce possessiveness in his daddy’s voice, the deep growl of threat towards anyone who’d dare harm his family, “Mine to own, to care for, to love, and I never fail to protect what belongs to me.’’

As Derek trudges upstairs, gently carrying Stiles with him, Stiles gathers all of those sweetly poured words and hides them inside his heart, feeling golden and loved and protected, and if there ever came a day that daddy would leave and never come back, Stiles could take out all of the words of affection Derek has ever whispered to him, and he wouldn’t feel lonely.

 

 

 

 

Since daddy has him swaddled tightly, Stiles gets to experience the baby boosters in shopping carts. The last visit they did, he had sat in one of the toddler chairs that open from the front of the metal cart, but this time daddy immediately makes a beeline to the soft looking boosters. 

Lately his headspace has been rather volatile. One minute he feels a little bigger, wanting to read books and play with legos, and the next he feels so tiny that words disappear from his mind and all he wants to do is listen to daddy coo softly to him, or watch as his mobile sways gently above his crib. Daddy goes along with it easily, so Stiles feels safe experimenting the different ages he feels.

Today he’s feeling teeny tiny. Daddy has put a pacifier in his mouth so that if anyone should stop them to say hello, Stiles wouldn’t have to force himself to speak back. His arms have been put inside the cradle of the fabric, and all he has to do is lie there and look around without the pressure of socializing.

The store is surprisingly packed. Daddy had made a face when they reached the parking lot, and hasn’t stopped making annoyed faces since. It makes Stiles smile from behind his dummy. His daddy is funny.

The alpha seems to be in no hurry though, despite the swarm of people, and leisurely strolls through the isles. He talks warmly and gently, reaching to rub at the soles of Stiles’ feet every once in awhile. There are tales of Peter and Isaac, how they once managed to get stranded on a single, solitary island in the middle of a lake after some water sprites decided to mess with them, and how Derek and Boyd had to bribe the sprites with goods to let the two wolves swim back. How Erica once got so angry at Derek with his constant worrying that she didn’t show a single solitary tuft of a tail for a whole week, making the whole pack miserable. She just sees her kidnapping and the trauma she’s trying to work through from a different angle, and the smell of Derek’s permanent concern made her frustration explode in a rather ugly way. While the alpha kept blaming himself for getting her abducted and tortured, Erica could only blame the hunters since it was in no way Derek’s fault that she had been in the wrong place in the wrong time. Extensive touch therapy seems to work wonders on everyone’s abandonment issues though, if the happy glow of his daddy’s face is anything to go by as he explains the need for tactile togetherness to him.

‘’Pack sleeps a lot better when we all migrate to the same place for slumber. The sleep is deeper when our instincts know we are safe and protected, hence why you’ll come to notice that we have sleepovers quite a lot. For the human society, an uncle and a nephew sharing a bed, sleeping naked while tucked together would seem incestuous and wrong. Don’t believe them. All it has to do is with comfort and family, and since you, cute little pumpkin, are now a part of our family forever, you’ll get to experience it too. It’s a lot of fun, I think, when you get to know everyone. They too, have been waiting to meet you. It’s going to be a very exciting weekend, I’d reckon.’’

Stiles blinks at the man serenely. Daddy huffs, smiling.

‘’Yeah,’’ he says softly, ‘’Everyone’s going to love you. You are the last puzzle piece to complete the whole picture.’’

‘’Derek Hale?’’

Daddy’s head snaps up, his smile vanishing for a blank, neutral expression. Stiles tries to crane his neck to see who it is, but he can’t.

‘’Mr. Raeken,’’ daddy greets the stranger, nodding politely.

‘’Oh, please,’’ the man says, sounding embarrassed, ‘’just call me Theo. I wasn’t sure if you’d recognize me since we only met briefly.’’

Stiles watches as daddy’s shoulders become tenser. ‘’Oh, I did. I have a pretty good memory. Eidetic. Makes all alpha business rather easier to navigate.’’

The other wolf laughs. ‘’I’d sure think so. People wielding the power of Alpha like us sure need that. I uh, didn’t realize you lived in this community, since the clinic is pretty far away from here. I mean, not to be intruding or questioning of your choices, but distance wise, there are plenty of adoption points a lot nearer.’’

Shrugging, daddy’s hand comes to open the buckle of the booster’s safety belt, clicking it open and lifting Stiles to his arms. Stiles frowns. It’s almost as if his powerful alpha daddy needs some physical reassurance. ‘’Those adoption points are not approved of in our community. It would endanger everyone here needlessly, since those ‘clinics’ aren’t all that capable of withstanding the light of the day.’’

The wolf shrugs. ‘’Yeah, maybe. Won’t argue about it, since I’m not a permanent resident and don’t know about your regulations. So hey, is this the same little dude I saw the last time?’’

Derek places Stiles against his chest, and he can finally,  _ finally  _ see what the strange wolf looks like. He looks a little familiar, he thinks, but can’t place from where. The arctic blue eyes spark a memory, but it seems distant and vague. Daddy is clutching Stiles rather tightly, and he can feel Derek vibrating with tension, so Stiles tries to imitate his daddy’s murder frown he sometimes shoots towards his work, scrunching his brows together in solidarity with his daddy.

‘’Yes,’’ Derek says reluctantly, ‘’This is our new baby.’’ He doesn’t elaborate or explain further.

Stiles sucks on his dummy menacingly and glares the other wolf. He didn’t catch the name when Derek greeted the man and now it nags at him.

‘’He seems to have adjusted fairly well to his new life. Still having stomach problems?’’

‘’No,’’ Derek answers, lifting Stiles into a better position. ‘’He’s doing fine.’’

‘’He’s very cute,’’ the wolf says, his cold blue eyes staring rather uncomfortably at Stiles. ‘’I bet he behaves really well. He seems to be the very submissive type. I’m still in the process of getting my own. . . Pet for me. The couple I’ve had briefly have not been what I have been looking for.’’

‘’Sounds tough.’’

The other wolf sighs. It sounds melodramatic even to Stiles’ ears. ‘’Well, in the meanwhile, I sometimes watch my friend’s pets. So if you ever need a babysitter, hit me up. I’m sure we could get into some kind of an. . . Arrangement.’’

The urge to cringe away is rather big, so Stiles leans heavily against daddy’s neck, but doesn’t let his eyes off the wolf. The man seems like the type of predator that will immediately strike his victim in the back if their focus lets loose even for a second.

‘’I think my pack and I will manage, but thank you.’’

The strange wolf nods, reaching for his pocket and drawing out a small business card. ‘’It’ll be my pleasure if I can be of any help. Here, have my number, and if you happen to have an emergency and no babysitter, I’ll be over faster than you can say ‘human pet’.’’

Daddy takes it and nods. ‘’Thank you. I wish you luck in finding your own family member.’’

The other man smiles widely, something eerie and cold in his expression. All Stiles can feel is the vibe of  _ evil  _ permeating the air around the wolf. He resists a shudder. He hopes daddy will never ever call him, or even see him ever again.

‘’I hope so too. Sooner, rather than later, I think,’’ the man says, and it sounds more like a threat than idle chit chat. The hair on his daddy’s neck raise, Stiles notices, so he hardens his glare.

‘’Good day to you, Mr. Raeken,’’ daddy says tad reservedly, his hand that’s not supporting Stiles’ weight under his butt comes to push their shopping cart forward, circling around Raeken. 

Stiles doesn’t let his gaze fall away from the piercing blue eyes even as his daddy stalks off. He glares at the man from over Derek’s shoulder, silently shooting daggers at him, while Raeken looks amused at his antics. He only lets up once Derek turns away from the isle and starts off towards the crafts section. Then he allows himself to go lax in daddy’s arms.

‘’You didn’t like him either, huh,’’ daddy whispers in his ear. ‘’Good. You shouldn’t trust anything he says, ever. But I’ll talk to you about it at home. You don’t have to worry about it. Daddy will always keep you safe.’’

Stiles nods, sucking at his pacifier in an effort to keep himself calm. When daddy says to trust him, Stiles will. Unquestionably, for the rest of his life.

Derek is quiet for awhile after the encounter. He’s clearly gathering himself, deep in his thoughts, and Stiles feels pretty happy to be carried around. The booster was fine in his opinion, but daddy’s arms are always going to be the number one place for him.

Derek speeds their shopping trip considerably, clearly in a rush to gain distance between Raeken and them. Stiles keeps nuzzling at his daddy’s neck and the underside of his jaw. He’d noticed that it tends to calm both wolves in his family, the tension leaching out of daddy’s strung up muscles. By the time the cart is filled up, daddy is back to softly telling tales against Stiles’ ear. He’s still alert, which keeps Stiles perked up too, but he seems more relaxed.

Daddy puts him back to the booster seat when they hit the cashiers. Stiles sighs when the kind of hard surface hits his back. The alpha gives him a sympathetic smile and starts emptying the cart onto the conveyor. The constant  _ beep-beep-beep _ of the items getting scanned lulls him into a slight doze. It seems that in no time at all daddy has packed all of their groceries and places them back in the cart. Stiles blinks at him sleepily and shifts his weight a little.

Suddenly he stills, clamping his muscles tightly. Warmth spreads from his crotch, spreading around. He can feel his bladder emptying itself into the diaper, wetting his bottom. He looks up at his daddy in horror. He didn’t mean to do it in public. At home he’s gotten so used to to just emptying his bowels whenever the urge hits him, secure in the knowledge that daddy or uncle would immediately scoop him up to change him. 

When they left home today, Stiles had vowed himself to keep control of it, since he had no idea whether or not daddy would have extra diapers with him, nor would there be a safe and remote place for daddy to even clean him up. 

Panic wells in his chest at the thought of being a burden to daddy, and warm, big tears pool into his eyes. His comforting pacifier drops from his mouth and he whimpers in distress, wanting to release a great wail of sorrow at his failure, but the panic clogs his throat and just gathering enough air in his lungs becomes difficult.

Daddy’s steady hands come to scoop him back up to his arms, his hip pushing their cart forward as he presses Stiles against his front and soothes him. Being set upright lets him heave a gulp of air.  ‘’Shh, shh, it’s okay baby. You did good, everything’s okay. Daddy will get you to the bathroom and we’ll change you up in no time. Shh, shh, that’s my boy, you’re alright. Daddy’s here.’’

Stiles sobs, panicking, burying his face in Derek’s warm neck, tucking it there for safety. He takes in ragged breaths. He wants to wrap his arms around daddy but the swaddle is too tightly bound over his limbs so he can’t. Daddy starts gently swaying to and fro, keeping up a gentle stream of comforting words. 

‘’Look here, baby, we can wipe you up and get you back into dry pants. How’s that sound? Good? Daddy thinks so too. Shh, shh, that’s it, there’s nothing to be sorry for. I’m proud of my little pup, you’re just such a perfect baby.’’

‘’ ‘m - ‘m  _ sorry  _ \- ‘’ Stiles cries, feeling wretched. Daddy opens the door to the spacious baby changing room, rubbing gentle circles onto Stiles’ back.

‘’Shh, little boy. I told you, there’s nothing to be sorry about. Little babies can’t hold their bladders, no matter where they are. And you  _ are  _ a little baby, aren’t you, Stiles? Just a teeny tiny little cub who needs daddy for everything. I  _ love  _ that. I love  _ you _ .’’

Derek opens a changing table from the wall, locking it on place before softly tucking Stiles onto it. His face, when Stiles sees it through blurry eyes, is radiating affection and he’s smiling. Stiles hiccups, hot tears streaming down his face. He’s not - He’s not humiliated or embarrassed that other people in the store can smell exactly what he did, or what daddy is about to do to him now. He’s done a lot worse things in his life that he’s gotten nasty glares from, but just the thought that he had inconvenienced daddy with his lack of control makes him blush in shame. The hot flush creeps from the tip of his cheeks, down to his chest, making him feel worse about it. He scrunches his face, heart tight with anguish as another bout of pitiful sobs wrenches from his throat.

‘’Oh, baby,’’ daddy murmurs, his deft hands caressing both of his cheeks, wiping away the tears with his thumbs as they appear. ‘’It’s okay. I knew you couldn’t possibly get through the whole day without a bathroom break.  _ Daddy  _ can’t go a day without using the bathroom. You lasted a lot longer than I would’ve expected! But you shouldn’t worry your tiny little head with things like these. Daddy has promised he’s going to always take care of you, and I will never go back on that word. The community has a lot of places for families like ours to take care of our babies in private, so no matter where we are, daddy will always be able to swiftly get you into dry clothes. So you can continue just to be happy and perfect, and let me and uncle Peter work out the rest. Okay?’’

Sniffling, Stiles nods miserably. 

‘’Good boy,’’ the alpha praises, kissing his forehead. He quickly takes a napkin and makes Stiles blow his nose on it, making it a lot easier to breathe with the gunk out of his nostrils. When there’s nothing coming out anymore, the wolf nods, satisfied. ‘’Now daddy has to step out for two seconds to grab the diaper bag from the cart, but I’ll be back before you can even blink. I’ll strap you in so you won’t fall off the table, but I won’t leave them on once I get back. Just hold on tight for a moment.’’ Daddy is as good as his word, strapping the thick leather straps on place all over his body before disappearing through the door. 

Stiles is far too occupied with trying to chase out the sorrow from his chest to even notice. Because daddy isn’t mad. Daddy is actually proud of Stiles for going potty while in the store. He’s not making Stiles feel guilty _ because babies  _ can’t be blamed for not having bladder control. And, despite how Stiles feels about it, about the yuickiness of changing a dirty diaper, daddy seems to actually love it. Derek always seems to get this fond, adoring look on his face whenever he wipes Stiles’ bottom, the act of caring for his baby soothing something primal in his paternal instincts. 

‘’Here we go,’’ daddy says happily, lugging in a huge blue bag that Stiles has somehow completely missed as daddy had loaded him into their car. ‘’Now we can finally get that yucky, cold diaper off of you. Wouldn’t want a nasty rash, would you? No, that would not be nice at all. Itchy and uncomfortable.’’

Stiles sniffs, offering a wobbly, though tiny, smile to his daddy. It makes the alpha beam.

‘’There’s my happy little boy!’’

He unbuckles the thick straps and opens up the swaddle, releasing Stiles limbs. He offers another string of comforting words that do a great deal in lessening the wretched feeling, replacing it with tentative contentment. Daddy lifts and maneuvers him, stripping him from his clothes, placing quick smooches into every piece of exposed skin. The air in the room is cool as is the table underneath him, and there are goosebumps littering his skin the second his jammies are off.

‘’I know,’’ the alpha soothes, ‘’I’ll be quick so you won’t have to suffer from the chill too long. They really should invest into heated changing tables since humans are a lot more susceptible to cold and infections.’’ He warms up the wet wipes, meticulously, yet efficiently gets Stiles cleaned up in no time at all. The dry diaper feels really good against his now clean bottom, making him sigh in relief. Since his arms are momentarily free, he grabs his pacifier where it lays beside his head, attached with a dinosaur strap onto his clothes, and plucks it back into his mouth. Then he reaches up and grabs at the alphas ears, bringing the wolf’s surprised head closer to his chest, hugging him close. It had been near  _ torture  _ not to be able to embrace Derek when the alpha had clearly needed it earlier, and now with his own, personal ordeal, he really, really wants to hug daddy.

Daddy huffs fondly before his strong arms circle around his tinier frame, lifting him up into his arms and against his broad chest, Stiles’ bare skin getting in contact with Derek’s warm henley. God, the wolf smells so good.

‘’Missed you too, buddy,’’ daddy whispers, kissing the top of Stiles’ head. The alpha takes a couple minutes just to offer comfort to Stiles that way, hugging him tightly, before releasing him after Stiles’ teeth start clacking together.

‘’Come on. Let’s get you back in your clothes so you won’t catch a cold. We still have a lot of fun things to do today.’’

Stiles nods, suckling his pacifier, and lets daddy redress and swaddle him. A part of him wants to protest against having his arms back in bound, but another part, the part that likes to be regressed to a really tiny baby, really loves the tight feeling of the fabric limiting his movement, so he lets daddy do whatever.

When they leave, daddy doesn’t put him back into the booster but keeps him hugged close to his chest with one arm. He does it with such ease that Stiles can only weep in thanks, knowing that if his daddy would’ve been human, he would not be carried around like this, no matter how much he would need it. Or at least, if daddy was human, he could probably hold Stiles for a few minutes before he’d have to put him down, but not seemingly infinite hours on end like now.

But his daddy, his whole family is made out of strong and fast werewolves, so he doesn’t have to worry about it, not at all. Instead, he lays his head against the alpha’s shoulder, blinking his puffy red eyes tiredly, letting the sway of daddy’s steps lull him back into the same doze his bladder had woken him from.

  
  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


As promised, as soon as Derek neatly parks onto their front yard, uncle Peter’s Shelby 1000 Cobra is only meters behind. He seems chipper, whistling as he comes out of his car. He greets Derek with a hug and gives Stiles a kiss on his cheek when he opens his side of the door.

‘’Hello there little puppy. Have you been good to my nephew?’’

Stiles nods tiredly, lifting his arms up so he’ll be scooped up. Peter doesn’t disappoint and immediately releases him from the booster seat. 

‘’Can you take him to the kitchen? I need to feed him.’’

‘’Sure,’’ Peter answers, hoisting Stiles onto one arm and grabbing two grocery bags with the other. Daddy takes the rest, and they carry them up to the house. 

Inside, Stiles is stripped from his tight swaddle and put into his favorite onesie. He yawns widely, his body lax and easy for uncle to manipulate any way he wants to. The wolf ruffles his hair when he’s done and carries him back to the kitchen where daddy is already working. He’s put onto his high chair. He blinks blearily as the two wolves bustle around the kitchen putting things into their places.

‘’I ran into Raeken while shopping,’’ daddy says, and Stiles sees Peter still. Uncle turns slowly to look at Derek, his face blank and unreadable.

‘’What did he want?’’

Derek shrugs, taking out of the diaper bag Stiles’ bottle and rinsing it. He reaches for the unopened milk carton and starts pouring it into the bottle. ‘’He re-introduced himself and offered babysitting services.’’

Peter’s eyebrows rise high. ‘’The alpha who -- ‘’ Peter glances at Stiles quickly and away, hissing incredulously, ‘’Became an alpha due dubious circumstances offered his _ babysitting services?’ _ ’

‘’Uh-huh,’’ daddy agrees. He places the milk inside the microwave and puts thirty seconds on the timer. ‘’He thought I wouldn’t know who he was. The innocent, flustered act was kind of amusing. But he’s definitely interested.’’

‘’Shit,’’ uncle swears, and Stiles perks up. ‘’Shit!’’ he repeats gleefully. It’s the only time he knows he’ll get off swearing without repercussions.

Daddy groans. ‘’Great, now that’s going to be the only word he’ll know for the next hour.’’

Peter frowns at Stiles, striding over and putting one finger under his chin, forcing it up. The hairs on Stiles’ neck rise, his instincts immediately recognizing the predator, even if his uncle wouldn’t hurt him in a million years. ‘’Only adults are allowed to swear in this house. Are you an adult, pup?’’

Pouting, Stiles shakes his head.

‘’That’s what I thought. You wouldn’t want to be put into your time-out mat, would you?’’

He gives another head shake. 

‘’Good.’’

The microwave beeps and Peter goes back to unloading the bags and bags of food while daddy makes Stiles’ bottle ready.

‘’Are there any extra safety measures you’ve been thinking about putting on action?’’

Daddy shakes his head. ‘’He won’t act here, everything’s too open, the community too tight. His biggest fault is his greed, and his second biggest fault is envy. He wants what someone else has, and is never happy with what he’s got. He drifts from place to place because he cannot hold down a territory.’’

‘’An adrenaline junkie,’’ Peter mutters somberly. Daddy agrees.

‘’Yeah. The bigger the fish, the more he wants to hunt it down. Since he was friends with Matt, he’s got his sights set here. That’s the only connection I can think of. Last time I heard of him, he’d been in New York, chasing after Deucalion’s pet. Wish they would’ve taken him in instead of exiling him out. Would’ve done a lot better for the communities around.’’

Daddy puts the lid back on, testing the bottle and the nub, and once happy with it, offers it to Stiles. He takes it and starts drinking. He’d been getting a little hungry, and bottle of milk will chase away the worst of it before dinner.

‘’Well,’’ Peter says evenly, juggling three bags of tomatoes and four big salads in his hands, ‘’If he dares put one foot out of line, he’ll be facing me. And then there will be nothing left of him.’’ He pauses. ‘’At least, not for the common society. Rodents and foxes might find him to be agreeable company.’’

Daddy snorts. ‘’I know. It’s why I’m not worried. You aren’t the left hand for nothing.’’

Peter grins toothily, teeth canine sharp. ‘’Flattery will get you everywhere.’’

‘’Well, hopefully you’ll start with browning the meat, because we’re eating tortillas.’’

That makes Stiles pop the nub out of his mouth. ‘’Stiles too?’’ he pipes up, hopeful. 

Daddy turns and gives him a fond smile. ‘’Sure pup. Just a little bit though. You haven’t had wheat products in awhile so we’ll see how your tummy likes them.’’

Few moments later, the six bags of groceries have disappeared into the cupboards and Peter is well on his way into making the meat sauce for the tortillas. Stiles gets to help too by tearing the leaves of his own salad into tiny pieces with his fingers. Daddy chops everything else.

After dinner, Stiles is ready for a nap, but instead he gets loaded into the car. They’ll need to visit daddy’s editor in his office to sign some papers, and then they have to visit the butcher while it’s still having operating hours, and then they need a lot of other stuff Stiles is too tired to think about.

It’s gonna be a busy day, and Stiles yearns for the quiet of the morning where his daddy played with him, and, well, Stiles thinks, flushing,  _ played  _ with him. Maybe he’ll get a repeat performance during the evening if he behaves himself. He’ll nap in the car with Mandy. It’ll be fine.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Days roll by and suddenly it’s already saturday morning. Stiles had slept fitfully, too anxious and nervous to fall asleep properly, so when Derek comes to pick him up in the morning, Stiles’ tired brain is simply working on overdrive.

‘’Morning love,’’ daddy greets him, lifting him up. ‘’Ready for the big day?’’

Stiles blinks at his daddy with plate sized eyes, shaking his head. Derek frowns, taking a stock on his baby. He must see something in Stiles’ expression, or his scent, because he sighs, then groans, and then smiles in disbelief.

‘’You did not sleep a wink, did you, pup?’’

He blinks in rapid succession and then offers the alpha another miniscule shake of his head. He doesn’t hear what daddy mutters in response because he’s owlishly looking at his uncle who has appeared on the mouth of the door.

‘’Someone looks a little wired,’’ Peter notes in amusement. 

Daddy carries Stiles to the changing table and starts their morning routine. It always starts with getting him clean from the night, and then daddy likes to do stretches to keep his muscles in good condition. With the small dosages of drugs and the constant volatile headspaces Stiles gets, his leg muscles are either in constant use, or then he doesn’t use them at all and just lets himself be carried around. It puts an unexpected strain on them, and the clinic had given them specific guides on how to keep his body in shape. ‘’A little wired might be an understatement of the century. He might just conk out ten minutes into our celebration.’’

Peter shrugs. ‘’This is just the first meeting. It’s bound to be stressful for him. We have years and years to properly infiltrate him into the pack.’’

Derek makes a face. ‘’He’ll be disappointed when he wakes up and realizes he’d missed over half of the party. He’s a little social butterfly when he wants to be.’’

‘’Should we try putting him back to sleep after breakfast then? The others won’t be around until one.’’

Derek tries to push down the multiple cow licks that decorate Stiles’ sleep mussed hair. When he fails, he ruffles all of his shaggy hair up so that he looks a little like he’s gotten an electric shock. ‘’Probably a good idea,’’ daddy agrees, and pulls out his batman pajama pants and his old basketball hoodie.

Stiles frowns, the curve of his mouth dipping down. ‘’No sleepy milk,’’ he says. ‘’Please.’’

Daddy looks surprised for a moment before smoothing his expression. ‘’If you don’t grab at least a couple hours of sleep, you’ll be falling asleep where you stand when we get the pack here. Do you want to miss out on all the fun stuff we’ve planned?’’

‘’No,’’ he pouts after a moment of indecision. ‘’But.. But what if.. Daddy will be..’’

‘’What?’’ Derek prompts gently. ‘’What will daddy be?’’

‘’Gone,’’ he whispers sadly. ‘’Last time I got sleep milk, daddy was gone.’’

The alpha’s face constricts painfully for a second before he drops his head onto Stiles’ stomach, albeit gently. He stays like that for a moment, probably fighting an inner battle before he looks back up at Stiles again. ‘’Daddy promises to be right there beside you when you wake up. And if daddy isn’t, for  _ any  _ reason, there when you blink your cute eyes open, then uncle Peter will be. And if neither of us are there when our little boy awakens from his nap, Stiles can put both of us in corner time and count for us the minutes we have to be there. Okay?’’

Now this is a deal Stiles can’t back out from. He’s been in timeout multiple times now, for multiple tiny offenses, like refusing to clean up after being asked three times, or accidentally breaking a vase, and on one memorable occasion when he gave a real big temper tantrum and went there himself. But daddy and uncle have never been put on timeout. 

‘’Stiles can count?’’

‘’Stiles can count,’’ Daddy agrees solemnly.

‘’Okay. Naptime now. Hurry!’’

Peter who had vanished from the door awhile ago laughs from downstairs. He comes up just as daddy has finished Stiles’ stretches and offers daddy the offending bottle.

Stiles scrunches his face up in discomfort, but drinks it obediently. He knows last time isn’t a performance to be repeated since daddy can’t leave him at the facility anymore, but the feeling of abandonment had somehow gotten instilled deep into his bones. Daddy will be there when he wakes up again, he believes it 99.999%, but that one teeny tiny percent of his heart that has dealt with abandonment from all directions all his life, doubts daddy. 

Stiles hopes that this time that annoying little mosquito buzzing in his head will be vanquished and exiled, and that sleepy milk won’t ever be scary anymore. Because he knows he’ll probably need it sometimes. His ADHD is manageable with the medication he’s receiving, but insomnia is still a thing that occurs. So Stiles drinks all of his breakfast, gets to be cuddled by daddy in daddy’s bed, and falls asleep, dreaming of faces he’s about to meet.

  
  
  
  


* * *

 

 

Stiles fiddles with his little clip-on bowtie. It’s red, much like daddy’s eyes when he shifts, and he likes it a lot. He’s dressed in a soft, black tuxedo, napkin stuffed in his front pocket and all. Daddy had fussed a lot with the outfit, combed Stiles’ hair this way and that, going as far as putting on dress-shoes for him. Though they had itched and grated at Stiles’ toes and heels, so he had pried them off his feet again and again, until daddy had to admit defeat and let Stiles go rampage clad in his socks, sans the stupid shoes. It feels a little like a small, smug victory. Peter seems to agree with him, if the smile full of conspiracy he shares with him is anything to go by.

Boyd is the first one to arrive to the house. Daddy and uncle greet him with extensive hugs and decidedly unsubtle scenting. Boyd seems to bask in the attention though, muscles bulking through his dress shirt as he clamps his arms around his alpha and pack tighter, and when his focus turns to Stiles, Stiles isn’t afraid to throw his arms up for the big wolf to cuddle.

The action seems to delight all three of them, so Stiles beams at them happily.

Right after Boyd gets situated on the sofa with Stiles in his lap, the wolf’s chest just as broad and nice Stiles remembers it to be, daddy jumps up and rushes to the door. As he wrenches it open, he drops to his knees to welcome in a huge, brown wolf. The wolf is whining and whimpering, almost barking in excitement, its tail swishing back and forth with happiness, its ears pressed against its skull as it drops to lay on the ground, belly up, offering its neck. 

Derek’s eyes flash alpha red, making the wolf whine even louder, before daddy just laughs and grabs the wolf fully into his embrace.

‘’Oh, Erica, I’ve missed you so much,’’ he says, and Peter comes from the kitchen and drops to his knees as well, wrapping his arms around his alpha and the wolf.

‘’It has, indeed, been too long. Let’s agree to never be apart for that long again.’’

The wolf, Erica, Stiles’ brain supplies, barks her agreement, and daddy nods as well.

They take a moment, before Derek urges both wolves up from the front door and into the house. ‘’Come on, Erica, come meet our new little pup.’’

Daddy leads the wolf to the couch, and whoah, Stiles has never seen a wolf so close before. Because she’s absolutely  _ huge  _ to be a canine. ‘’Erica, this is Stiles. Stiles, this is our pack member Erica. My beta. She’s a werewolf like me and uncle Peter, so you need to treat her as an adult human and not a pet dog. Okay, pup?’’

Stiles nods, his eyes wide as Erica’s snout comes to sniff at his stomach. He grips at Boyd’s hand and the wolf grips it gently back, offering calm reassurance. 

‘’You can pet her head,’’ Boyd says quietly. ‘’Erica will definitely behave and not scare the baby by snapping her teeth at him, right?’’

The last part seems to be directed towards the wolf who blinks innocently. Boyd nods, satisfied, and guides Stiles hand on top of Erica’s head. Her fur is silky smooth and soft when he touches it, and it makes his mouth drop in a gape in awe.

‘’Pretty,’’ he says shyly, petting a couple times before quickly retreating his hand, and Erica puffs her chest in pride. 

Boyd smiles. ‘’Yeah. She’s real pretty. Wolf and human alike.’’

Stiles blinks at the wolf. ‘’Why not human now?’’

Daddy sighs sadly, making Stiles focus on him. ‘’Erica doesn’t want to be a human right now. Bad men came and did something evil to her, so she feels safer in her fur. Right, girl?’’

Erica huffs a sigh before laying down. Stiles takes it as the quiet agreement as it is.

‘’It okay,’’ he says, offering the words to her. ‘’We can play hide and seek or tag and no need for two legs!’’

There’s a moment of stunned silence before Boyd’s frame starts shaking. Confused, Stiles turns to see if the man is okay. There’s a wet look to the big wolf’s eyes, like he’s holding back tears, but at the same time, he seems to be laughing. Stiles’ confusion grows.

‘’That’s - That’s true,’’ Peter says eventually, smiling widely. ‘’For tag and hide and seek you certainly do not need two legs or opposable thumbs. Good thinking, pup.’’

Derek sits down onto the couch with a huff, ruffling at Stiles hair. He looks fond and amused, so despite Stiles’ confusion, he shrugs it off and clambers onto daddy’s lap instead. The alpha bears his weight with no problem and embraces him in his warm arms. He gets a kiss too, which mollifies him a little.

Then another wolf bursts through the door, his hair curly and blonde and he looks around in panic. ‘’Did I miss it?’’

‘’We haven’t started yet,’’ Boyd replies easily, his mouth curved up in a smile. That makes the new wolf freeze where he stands. ‘’Oh my god, what is happening? You’re smiling! I missed it! Definitely missed it! Ack, even Peter is grinning, what’s going on?’’

‘’Come on in, Isaac. We have only made introductions so far. You’re perfectly on time.’’

‘’Well, he’s ten minutes late, but, sure, let’s say he’s on time,’’ Peter snarks. Isaac sticks his chin up. 

‘’Well, at least I’m not half an hour late, _ Mr. I have to put more gel in my hair so I’m usually two hours late for everything _ .’’

Daddy rolls his eyes. ‘’Come on, guys. We’re supposed to impress our newest pack member and yet you two are having an old feud that he’s got no clue of, yet.’’

‘’Damn right,  _ yet _ ,’’ Boyd mutters.

Daddy shushes him. ‘’So Isaac, this is Stiles. Stiles, this is my beta, Isaac.’’

The wolf comes to stand in front of him and sticks his hand out. ‘’Hey, man.’’

Stiles looks down at the hand and tentatively offers his to be shaken. Isaac takes it and gives it a couple lazy shakes before releasing him.

Daddy takes a hold of Stiles’ chin and forces him to look at the alpha’s face as daddy says seriously, ‘’Now, baby, you know that you’re not supposed to throw things around because they could get broken, not even in the throes of your temper tantrum, but around Isaac, that is definitely a very hard no-no. Okay? Because Isaac cannot stand toys and objects flying through the air, just as much as you cannot stand to have your head forced down from behind. Okay?’’

Stiles nods seriously. If his head is pushed forcibly down from behind, he gets such bad panic attacks that it takes him an half an hour to calm down from. It stems pretty much from his miserable days after his father’s death, when he did exactly like his dad had done when mom had passed, and drowned himself in alcohol. Too many bad hook-ups happened in dark alleyways where the men liked to force Stiles to gag on their cocks, and it had turned into a very serious trigger for him. So if Isaac is afraid of flying objects, Stiles will do his utmost hardest to never throw anything in Isaac’s near vicinity. Not even Mandy, who he likes throwing up just to catch her again. 

‘’Alright,’’ Peter claps his hands together. ‘’Who’s hungry?’’

Later, as Stiles looks back on this day to fondly remember it, he thinks that all of them descended on the food like hungry wolves.

Not that he’d ever say it out loud.

Stiles gets a place at the head of the table where his high chair is moved. Daddy clasps a small, paper crown onto his head and declares him the guest of honor. The crown is obnoxiously yellow, with small diamond stickers placed all around, and Stiles cherishes it so much. The table is filled with a real feast, from stakes and pot roast and baked salmon, to salads and dumplings and oddly shaped pies. It looks mouthwatering, and saliva pools into his mouth as he takes in all of the goods.

Daddy sees his gleaming eyes and offers a smile. “You still have to drink your bottle, pretty little boy, but if you drink it without a fuss, daddy will give you taste samples from every single dish.”

“Please!” Stiles chirps happily, bending his neck so that the alpha can put the bib snuggly on place. He’s determined to suck the milk out of that damn bottle so fast he might get a little sick just so he can get his mouth on those roasted potatoes and those lamb chops. They look and smell so delicious it makes his brain a little fuzzy with eagerness.

Isaac finds his antics supremely amusing, and Stiles finds that the wolf seems to be a little.. Defensive. Prickly. Mostly the curly haired wolf ignores him unless someone derails the attention immediately to Stiles, and even then he tries to change the subject. 

Stiles sees daddy give the wolf confused frowns and a little hard looks whenever Isaac tries to talk over Stiles, but because that’s all daddy is doing, Stiles decides to let the issue be. If Isaac needs some time to build up trust, then time is all they have in their hands. He’s determined to win the beta’s affections some day, because he wants the whole family to be happy, and that includes Isaac, no matter how brittle and slightly unlikable he seems at the moment.

Erica gets a seat by the table as well, though she gets one of the armchairs from the living room to accommodate her form. Boyd makes her plate, guided by the satisfied huffs and disagreeing growls. Stiles follows the whole ordeal from beginning to the end, drinking his milk, and when he’s finished, clattering the empty bottle to the table, daddy starts filling samples on Stiles’ plastic Donald Duck plate. Taking his cues, whenever he thinks he won’t like something, he tries growling and shows daddy his teeth, shaking his head.

Peter is trying so hard to suppress his laughter that his mouth seems to be carved on a permanent huge grin. Erica lolls her tongue at Stiles and he beams back at her.

Daddy seems a little amused, but mostly nonplussed. He does take the directions intended directions, and fills tiny portions of food on the plate. Bacon he adds two pieces, and even though Stiles tries to whine and beg for more, since, bacon,  _ yum _ , he doesn’t get more than that. Not that it stops Stiles from reaching for Peter’s plate and snatching a couple stripes more when daddy’s eye averts long enough. Uncle just gives him more.

The evening goes by surprisingly fast. Stiles gets a little food baby, his stomach protruding. He pats at his full tummy happily, even going as far as declining the last of the strawberries of uncle’s strawberry cake, opting for instead to fill his mouth with his pacifier. When they’re done with the food, everyone migrates to the couches, forcibly stuffing themselves into one, probably needing the proximity. Stiles gets bored pretty fast, feeling big in his headspace, and when he starts to fuss, daddy gives him a jigsaw puzzle.

Him and Boyd start on it, Stiles starting with the most colorful pieces as he sucks on his tummy, side-eying Boyd’s strategy of doing the borders first. He’s glad for the company though, so when he finds pieces with one or two smooth corners, he offers them to the big wolf. The man takes them, nodding seriously as thanks. 

At some point during the party, Stiles gets left alone with Isaac for a few moments. The wolf sips at his glass of white wine, his stare making Stiles a little uncomfortable. He doesn’t spare the wolf his attention, but focuses on the pieces. The borders have three layers done, thanks to Boyd, and Stiles himself as almost completely built the middle of the picture ready, fiery T-Rex roaring with her mouth open.

Slowly, Isaac sits down onto the floor, on the opposite side of Stiles. He doesn’t touch the puzzle, but sits there quietly for a moment. 

Then, out of nowhere, the wolf clamps a hand over the part Stiles is trying to create and says threateningly, ‘’I don’t know what game you’re playing, if you’re in this for kicks, or if you’re a hunter or whatever, but if you hurt Derek, in any way, or if you pose a threat to this pack, I will not hesitate to kill you. It took me years to find people as accepting as they are, a family so tight knit that I can trust them one hundred percent, and I will not lose all of this because of shitty little humans like you.’’

Stiles snaps his head up so fast his dummy drops from his mouth as he gapes at the beta.

Isaac narrows his eyes. ‘’Derek won’t do anything to hurt you, nor probably will Peter, but if you turn out to be a fraud and not in this with your full heart like my  _ Alpha _ , my  _ whole pack _ is, then I will eviscerate you, painfully, slowly and tortuously.’’ He pauses, unsheathing his claws, his fangs dropping. ‘’You will die an agonizing death and then buried in a grave that nobody will find, and nobody will care that you are gone. Am I understood?’’

Shivering in fear of the truth of it, Stiles can do nothing but nod dumbly. 

‘’I want to hear you say it out loud,’’ Isaac hisses.  _ ‘’Say it  _ so I can hear the truth of it.’’

‘’I love daddy,’’ Stiles blurts fearfully. ‘’I love Derek. I’m not bad. I promise. Not - I don’t want daddy hurt.  _ Please _ . Don’t - Don’t make daddy go away - ’’

‘’Isaac!’’ Daddy suddenly thunders from the door. The beta flinches, giving one last assessing look at Stiles before his shift disappears and he droops in the face of anger of his alpha.

But before daddy can say anything more, Isaac rallies his argument. ‘’I just had to make sure, Derek. I had to make sure. I  _ refuse  _ to lose any of you for  _ anything _ . I  _ needed  _ to hear his heartbeat Alpha. I’m sorry, but I just had to.’’

Stiles watches as the anger bleeds away from Derek’s features and the alpha sighs wearily. Isaac lowers his head in deference, bearing his neck. Daddy moves forward and takes a hold of the back of Isaac’s neck and shakes it a little. Isaac whines, closing his eyes, but he’s lax, trusting.

‘’Then you now know that Stiles is in this just as much as any of us. He’s part of our family now. Our pack. Which means that the next time you distress him like this, you’ll be doing a lot of gardening behind our house. I will accept this just once from you, because I know you, and I know your past. But Isaac, little pet, you  _ don’t know  _ Stiles’ background either. You don’t know why he sought out a family like ours, why he has the needs to be our little pack pup, and like he hasn’t judged you for your, frankly appalling behaviour today, you shouldn’t judge him for his either. He’s been vetted thoroughly by both the clinic and Peter, and we know all about his background.’’

Isaac sighs, mouth turning, the tips of his cheeks tinking red. But daddy isn’t done yet. He’s looking at Stiles now, his eyes intent, promising protection and safety and dire retribution to anyone who’d even think to harm him. ‘’Stiles has had a rough time up until now, and because he feels safe with us, safe with  _ me _ , he willingly gave up his old life, throwing away the human society, his college, his works and his apartment and earlier relationships. He took a huge leap of faith when he agreed to the terms of getting accepted into this pack, trusting his entire being, his body and mind to  _ my  _ hands, and by Moon, I will protect him to the last of my breath, just as I hope you will someday do the same. He tooks all of those steps alone, just as much as you did, both of you proving great bravery. So  _ trust  _ your  _ Alpha  _ when I say that Stiles is in this whole heartedly, and he won’t be leaving us, not ever.’’

There’s a full minute of silence as Derek’s words register with both Stiles and Isaac, and when they do, the beta turns around in Derek’s hold and looks at Stiles,  _ really looks _ at him, and bows his head. ‘’Sorry,’’ the wolf says. ‘’I’m, uh. A little broken maybe. So um. I won’t - I won’t harm you. Ever. I promise.’’

‘’It - It’s okay,’’ Stiles mumbles. ‘’Making sure that family is happy is important. So it’s okay.’’

Isaac offers a tentative smile. Stiles offers one back, and if it’s a little wobbly, it’s from the sheer relief that nobody will be sending Stiles away because they think he’s bad for the pack. 

Because all Stiles wants to be is daddy’s good boy. And if the way daddy comes to embrace him, softly murmuring loving words to his ear as the celebrations continue a little hesitatingly, well. He thinks he might still be the most beloved baby daddy has ever had in his arms.

And that, if anything, is a warming thought.

  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  
  


Stiles gets to know the pack members fairly quickly. Now that the first meeting has been concluded, it’s like floodgates have opened and the pack comes and goes almost daily. Erica is the one he goes to whenever he wants to play. They can’t really play any board games or card games, but Erica is super fun to play tag with, and hide and seek, and she likes to roll around in the dirt just as much as Stiles does. They play adventure on the occasions that somebody is ready to join them to the woods, and she’s fun to swim with too, even if she sneaks up on him and wets him with her fur.

Boyd is the one Stiles seeks out whenever he wants some quiet time. Boyd, despite his reserved nature, is adept at doing the voices as he reads out loud, and he and Boyd can spend hours just playing all kinds of fun board games. Even when his focus tends to veer off topic, Boyd seems to find infinite patience for guiding Stiles back on track. He’s almost as good as daddy, but Stiles won’t admit to it, since daddy is the best in everything.

Isaac is the artistic type, so even when Stiles takes forever on a plasticine model, he can count on the fact that Isaac has a lot of patience when it comes to making something with his hands, and if Stiles thinks he takes forever on a single piece, Isaac takes a million times longer. They make lots of arts and crafts together, and Peter is saved from getting another blue handprint on his face. The house gets quickly filled with tiny crafts that daddy sometimes looks with reverence, as if Stiles’ crappy pinecone farm is a precious family heirloom.

His daddy is so weird.

 

 

* * *

  
  
  


Their first trip to aquarium is rather mush in Stiles’ brains, as he’d, somewhere in his heart, decided that morning to be a very little baby, and despite his sudden regression in age, daddy had taken him anyway. He remembers the ambience of the place, the changes in lightning as they went from room to room, the security of daddy’s chest, and the temperature drop of the underwater world and the restaurant they surfaced into.

Now, the second time they’re visiting, he feels a lot older, and so stares in wonder at everything. He loves to point out the colorful fish to daddy, to listen  _ all  _ of the explanation points because he sucks in information like a dry sponge being dipped into water for the first time.

He’s technically big enough to walk on his own. There had been a full month that Stiles had not ventured out of his baby state of mind at all, which caused his muscles to deteriorate a little, so now that he’s feeling older, daddy likes to teach him how to walk again, to strengthen his legs.

But right now he’s being carried by daddy. Boyd and Erica had tagged along, strolling alongside their alpha. There’s a woman pushing a stroller that’s kind of been subtly walking the tour with them, and Stiles doesn’t know if daddy and the others have noticed, but she tends to frown and shake her head whenever she looks at Stiles.

He’s considering sticking his tongue out just to see what she’d do.

Instead, he points towards the big red button as they come to a new section of the building, and daddy obediently crouches down a little so he can push it. A mellow woman’s voice starts explaining about jellyfish, and Stiles stares at the tank in wonder.

_ Jellyfish or jellies are softbodied, free-swimming aquatic animals with a gelatinous umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles. The bell can pulsate to acquire propulsion and locomotion. The tentacles may be utilized to capture prey or defend against predators by emitting toxins in a painful sting. Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 500 million years, and possibly 700 million years or more, making them the oldest multi-organ animal. _

_ Jellyfish lifespans typically range from a few hours (in the case of some very small hydromedusae) to several months; there are some indications that deep sea species may live on the order of years. Life span varies by species. Most large coastal jellyfish live 2 to 6 months, during which they grow from a millimeter or two to many centimeters in diameter. _ _  
_ _ Aquarium jellyfish that are carefully tended, fed daily even when food might be seasonally rare in the wild, and sometimes treated with antibiotics if they develop infections, may live several years, though this would be very unusual in the wild. _

‘’Daddy, look,’’ Stiles whispers. ‘’Those two are friends!’’ He points at the two jellyfish floating side by side, unconcerned of the gently current sweeping them along.

‘’Looks like it, pup,’’ daddy agrees. He hoists Stiles up a little bit, tightening his grip into a better position. A loud sigh from beside them makes both of them turn their head slowly.

The woman with her stroller is standing right next to them, and she’s rolling her eyes. ‘’Really,’’ she says in flat voice, ‘’You honestly have to carry him  _ everywhere _ ? Can’t he walk? And if he can’t, why not buy a stroller? It’s annoying how you have to flaunt your strength in front of everybody. We know you’re a fucking alpha, get over yourself.’’

Stiles is about to open his mouth to let that woman know exactly how he feels about her stupid opinion on his daddy, of all people, but daddy puts his hand over Stiles’ mouth and answers calmly. ‘’My baby can walk just fine. I just prefer to carry him, since I know he’ll be safe then, and I love the weight of him on my arms, grounding me. The second I can’t carry my baby boy around all day is the day I’ll gather up his toys into a box, give him to my uncle and hurl myself down a balcony. Not,’’ he says pointedly, ‘’that it’s any of your business.’’

The woman sputters, and as daddy’s hand falls off his face, Stiles lets his mouth curve into a feral grin, matching his daddy’s.

‘’Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’d like to enjoy our family time, you know, between our family. Uninterrupted.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Stiles echoes, ‘’Un-inter-upted!’’

Erica makes a little snickering noise, lolling her tongue in amusement. Boyd gives a rather stern glare at the woman, making her step back a little. Stiles’ chest puffs with pride at his strong pack. They ignore the woman as they move to a new section, showing her that she’s not match for them when they give her their vulnerable backs. In the new part, in a tank is an octopus, a huge one, and Stiles’ eyes go round with excitement.

‘’Daddy,’’ he whispers reverently, ‘’It look like my dinosaur book!’’

Derek seems to cock his head to think a little. He frowns. ‘’Which dinosaur does he look like?’’

Stiles rolls his eyes. ‘’Keuppia of course! You saw it too daddy. But this octopi is prettier.’’

‘’Daddy’s memory is a little hazy still. Wanna tell daddy more about it?’’

Frowning a little, Stiles fiddles with the alpha’s hair on the nape of his neck. ‘’Keuppia has two spe- spes- spess -’’

‘’Species,’’ daddy supplies. 

‘’Species. Yeah. And they lived in deep sea and 95 million years ago, daddy. They’re  _ old _ .’’

Chuckling, Derek nods. ‘’That does sound like they lived a long time ago. So you think this bud here might be a descendant of one?’’

Stiles shrugs. ‘’Dunno. Maybe?’’ he ventures. ‘’Lemme press that button so we can know.’’

Derek obliges again, walking towards the big tank and letting Stiles press the big red button. The same voice comes again, mellow and calm;

_ The octopus is a soft-bodied, eight-armed mollusc of the order Octopoda. Around 300 species are recognised and the order is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, the octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beak, with its mouth at the centre point of the arms. The soft body can rapidly alter its shape, enabling octopuses to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their eight arms behind them as they swim. The siphon is used both for respiration and for locomotion, by expelling a jet of water. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse of all invertebrates. _

_ Octopuses inhabit various regions of the ocean, including coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the seabed; some live in the intertidal zone and others at abyssal depths. Most species grow fast, mature early and are short-lived. _

_ Strategies to defend themselves against predators include the expulsion of ink, the use of camouflage and threat displays, their ability to jet quickly through the water, and their ability to hide. All octopuses are venomous, but only the blue-ringed octopuses are known to be deadly to humans _

‘’Huh,’’ Stiles says, oddly disappointed. ‘’She didn’t tell.’’

‘’Well,’’ daddy says patiently, ‘’Perhaps the shop we saw near the entrance will provide us with a book on octopi. We could get one for bedtime.’’

Eyes sparkling happily, Stiles looks at his daddy, ‘’Really? Yes, please please please, daddy!’’

‘’Anything for you, pup,’’ Derek smiles, planting a kiss on his cheek. Stiles returns the kiss, though he smacks it to the alpha’s lips. ‘’I love you so much, daddy!’’

‘’We’ll get the book is Stiles promises to eat his dinner without fuss when we go to the restaurant,’’ the wolf backtracks a little, but Stiles’ enthusiasm isn’t at all deterred. Sure, he’s had a little trouble during mealtimes lately, mostly stemming from the fact that uncle would very much like to feed him, as would daddy, but Stiles is feeling big enough to do things by himself at the moment, which occasionally leads to temper tantrums. He’s been a little shocked by his own vehement anger, which usually leads him to burst in tears after cranking to his family.

‘’Stiles will be a good boy,’’ he promises seriously.

Derek sighs, but it’s fond. ‘’I’ll hold you onto that.’’

Stiles eats without a fuss, and before they get home, daddy buys him both the book and a huge octopus stuffed toy which Boyd has to carry outside, since it’s too big for Stiles’ arms as it is for daddy to hold both it and Stiles. 

Stiles doesn’t crank about food for four entire days.

  
  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Stiles glances over his shoulder, making sure daddy and Peter really are in daddy’s office and not about to emerge unannounced, before he slowly works his way to the wooden blocks. The lid of the plastic box is open, as daddy always leaves it whenever he lets Stiles play alone in the living room. 

Daddy had told him to use it whenever he feels like there are things he cannot say out loud to his family, things he’s either too shy or embarrassed to tell. He hasn’t used it to his advantage much, not because he feels like he can’t, or that there are things he feels daddy and uncle can’t affect much, but because there has been no need to use them. Very rarely does Stiles feel like Derek’s judgement is wrong, or that there are things that make him so uncomfortable that he can’t tell daddy about it. He’d even argued about the sleepy milk, because it had scared him, and he wanted daddy to know exactly that. And daddy’s response had been perfect, which made him even more easier to trust.

But this time he doesn’t know how to breach the subject. It’s been nagging at him for a long time, especially at times when he regresses drastically overnight, and then ‘grows’ mentally a week later.

Peeking inside the box, he sees the rather unfamiliar mountain of words and vowels, the black font a contrast to the light wood they’ve been printed on. He doesn’t dare tip the box over, lest it make too much noise. Quietly, he examines the blocks, meticulously going through every single one and puts them down onto the hardwood floor. On one pile he gathers the kind of full words he’s searching for, and on another pile he puts them in the order of abc. The rest he builds into towers inside the box to wait for a better day. He clears a big space on the floor behind their dark grey couch, rolling the rug away a feet or so.

Then he gets to work.

The words come easy, even as his hands shake as he creates the sentences. It almost feels like he’s writing a letter, spilling out his thoughts row after row, filling a big, blank space with his fears and innermost needs. He uses punctuation, clear words and easy expressions, wanting his daddy to take him seriously. He’s not a baby when he’s writing it, and he wants daddy to know that.

It takes a while to get everything right, re-doing the entire thing three times when he reads the final forms, frustrated at how he presents himself in his words. He used to be able to write three ten page essays a night, writing sonnets about everything and nothing, veering from topic to topic, able to distract the viewer or listener from their initial subject, only to return to it from a mile away. He’d always excelled in his academics, and he feels frustrated that his words would fail him  _ now _ , as he needs them the most this time.  His heart  _ demands  _ that daddy understand everything he has to say. And for daddy to be able to do that, Stiles has to find his thoughts and compile them in a way that is easy to follow, so that daddy can  _ fix  _ things.

He gnaws at his lip as he examines his final work, straightening the pieces into straight lines where some are not aligned perfectly. When he deems it done, he adds a heart print at the bottom, with his initials, S.H. 

Then he sighs, scooping the leftover words into his arms and quietly deposits them back into the plastic box. He puts the lid back on and crawls back to his jigsaw puzzle he’d been left to solve in the meantime as his daddy and uncle discuss some adult things. Not two minutes later that he has taken back his spot in front of the TV, the door to the office opens and his family spills outside. He sighs in relief, doing a mental fistbump to his own timing.

And then he waits.

  
  


Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t have to wreck his heart with anxiety further than that night. As daddy has read him his bedtime story, instead of putting him right away to his crib, the alpha keeps him cuddled in his arms like a newborn baby, caressing Stiles’ temple. The only light on is the lamp in the corner of the room, emitting a warm, yellow glow that always makes Stiles feel really sleepy. He associates the lamp and its light with sleep, since it’s always put on when daddy reads him his bedtime story, and he always does it in the armchair just underneath it.

The alpha murmurs against his hair, ‘’Daddy wants to talk to you a little bit, before you go to sleep, baby. Are you awake enough to that?’’

Stiles hums, sighing against the warm hand.

‘’I saw your letter that you so beautifully compiled to me on our living room floor. Daddy is so proud of you for taking those tools to talk about things that you are too shy to talk about. But I think I need to hear a little bit more about your thoughts, before I say anything more. Can you elaborate to daddy about your feelings?’’

Wilting a little at the prospect of having to pull out some brain cells to think his words thoroughly, Stiles nods, and says, ‘’Can Stiles sit up with daddy?’’

‘’Of course,’’ daddy agrees immediately, changing Stiles’ position on his lap that he’s not lying on it anymore, but Stiles’ legs are now hanging over one of Derek’s thighs, his side pressed against daddy’s front as he sits sideways on the alpha’s legs.

‘’There,’’ the alpha says, ‘’Is that better?’’

Nodding, Stiles takes a hold of daddy’s hand, fiddling with it a little. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts. Daddy waits patiently, like he always does, until something usually changes in Stiles scent that gives daddy the clue to prompt Stiles to speak.

The alpha doesn’t have to do that this time. Stiles  _ really  _ wants this off of his chest, you see.

He takes a deep breath. ‘’When Stiles. . . When  _ I  _ feel really teeny tiny. . . I - I - I feel - I think - ‘’ He growls a little in frustration.  _ Words _ , he thinks bitterly,  _ don’t fail me now. _

‘’Shh,’’ daddy shushes him. ‘’Take your time. Don’t fight it. Just spill out the words, baby. Daddy will make sense of anything you have to say.’’

Shaking his head, Stiles huffs, but his muscles are tense, anxiety and fear clinging to his heart. When he speaks, he makes sure his pronunciation is clear and his words so far from baby talk he can possibly manage. He starts slow, tentative, no idea how Derek will react. ‘’Daddy knows how sometimes I go from a baby to a little boy?’’

Daddy makes an affirmative noise.

‘’Well, sometimes. . . Sometimes when I stay baby a long time, I . . . I forget. Things. Words. Like, they’re right there, as if I could reach out just an inch to touch them, but when I do, the words slip away and I . . . I get scared. And when I get bigger again, the words, they don’t come back sometimes. Not for a long time. And it, it scares me daddy. I don’t - I don’t want to forget my words! What if I don’t ever remember them again? What if  -- ‘’

‘’Okay, baby. Okay,’’ daddy soothes him when his breath hitches, the air in his lungs wheezing with panic, caressing his back in circular motions. It’s sneaky, because the alpha knows for certain it’s a fire proof way to make Stiles relax.

‘’Breathe, pup. In and out. Give me a big inhale. There you go, breathe in - ‘’ Daddy breathes exaggeratedly in, chest expanding as his lungs take in the air. He holds it, and then blows the air out of his mouth and says, ‘’And out, slowly, that’s it.’’

The alpha repeats the action again and again, waiting for Stiles to mimic him, slowing down the momentum of the panic, the fear, eliminating it before it has time to take hold. Daddy starts rubbing at Stiles’ bare chest as they breathe in tandem, his broad palm splayed against the milky skin of Stiles’ thorax. Getting rubs on both sides of his upper torso makes Stiles lean against the touch, feeling caged and protected. As fast as his breath had quickened and his panic welled, daddy takes the trepitated winds out of his sails and exchanges them with gentle summer breeze.

‘’That’s it, good boy,’’ Derek praises warmly. ‘’In and out, breathe with daddy. Just like that, nice and easy.’’

Waiting for a moment, daddy presses a kiss against Stiles’ temple. ‘’Better?’

Stiles nods, clinging to his alpha’s neck now, his hands clumsily gripping at daddy’s shirt.

‘’Now, I want my pup to listen to me very carefully, alright?’’

‘’Yes, daddy,’’ Stiles whispers wetly against the wolf’s skin.

‘’What you described in your letter, and what you said just now, all of that, pup, is perfectly okay. It’s normal.’’ Daddy pauses just to let the words sink in. ‘’You have lived here a very short time compared to your life so far. You have voluntarily thrown away all of your adult responsibilities, all of your adult thoughts, almost overnight even, and replaced them with cartoons and stuffed toys and plasticine. It takes awhile for your brain to adjust to all of these changes you’ve made and nobody can expect you to be perfect from the beginning.’’

‘’But I  _ forget  _ \- ‘’

Derek’s hand comes to cover Stiles’ mouth. He gently shushes him.  ‘’Shh, let me finish, baby. Like I said, your brain is going through a makeover. You forget words, your speech slurs and your train of thought gets slower because when you have to focus to act like a baby, you try to unconsciously adapt your brain to the mental age you’re feeling. When you jump from an age of newborn baby to a five year old toddler, the change is so drastic that it sometimes takes you awhile to remember how to  _ be  _ a toddler. It’s not bad or wrong. It might take you  _ years  _ even to feel the ages in their proper order and not leap from an age to age overnight. You’ll start ‘growing up’ slowly, and regressing the same way overtime, but it won’t happen too soon. This process will be slow, pup, and it needs a lot of patience. Patience with  _ yourself  _ is especially important. Don’t be angry at yourself for the volatile headspaces. Go along with them, get to know them, and due time, you’ll stop questioning whether or not you should be acting a certain way and can just be you. I want you to be happy. That’s all daddy wants. And it’s going to be hard, I won’t deny that. But daddy is here for all the ups and downs, and in a year or two, you’ll be thinking about how silly you were to be concerned about this. It’s going to be okay, Stiles. Just be you, feel anything you want, and if you’re scared about your sudden loss of words, then daddy will buy you a book of the ABC’s and we can relearn.’’

Stiles sniffs, part relief, part happiness, and nods. ‘’I trust daddy.’’

‘’Thank you, pup,’’ daddy says affectionately. ‘’I love you, too.’’

Derek rubs at Stiles’ scalp for a moment before Stiles yawns widely, smacking his lips and blinking sleepily. Panicking and coming down from an attack, even the early stages of one, makes him rather weepy and exhausted.

‘’Are you settled enough for sleep, baby?’’

‘’Nn. What if I have nightm’rs, daddy?’’

Derek scoops the baby up and carries him out of the nursery, clicking the lamp off. ‘’Then daddy will do preventing work from the beginning and have my boy sleep in daddy’s bed, so that I can chase away any and all bad dreams, and replace them with happy ones.’’

Stiles thinks that sounds like a perfect plan. 

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Stiles snatches Erica’s tail, the wolf turning and snarling at him, making him grin in delight. He’s not tugging to hard at all, the conversation he had with daddy still fresh in his mind about hurting others involuntarily if he uses too much strength. He had accidentally killed a worm when he’d held it in his palm, disgusted and delighted the same amount by the slimy squirming, and when the worm had hit a spot that tickled too much, he’d pressed his palm closed into a fist, crushing the poor thing. He’d cried for days afterwards.

Erica is surprisingly prickly today, and Stiles’ insatiable curiosity wants to get to the bottom of it. He’s sucking his dummy, though he feels big enough today to crawl and walk a few steps by himself, so daddy had let him and Erica outside to play while he focused on stupid big adult things. Everyone else of the pack are at work too, leaving Erica to babysit him. Daddy is close by though. They won’t let her watch him alone if there’s nobody within shouting range. Just a precaution.

Stiles releases the tail and crawls after the full shifted wolf when she pounces away. He grins, gaining speed as she barks and evades his grabby hands. They’re playing hide and seek and Erica had found him in no time at all. This time it’s his turn to count, but he kind of wants to smush Erica into a hug in revenge for always finding him so fast.

When the wolf gets too far, Stiles huffs, plopping his butt onto the ground and grumbling behind his dummy. He closes his eyes and starts humming the numbers, giving Erica her cue to hide. She’s entirely too good at it. It takes Stiles  _ forever  _ to find her.

He peeks, just a little, and sees a brown tail disappear behind the corner of the house, leading up to the front yard and the traffic. They’re at Boyd’s house because the wolf is responsible for making the pack dinner tonight and daddy thought it easier to locate to their house for the day so they won’t have to drag Erica back and forth.

He hum-screams happily the  _ ‘ten’  _ behind the pacifier and starts crawling towards the edge of the house where he saw the tuft of tail running to. He looks around suspiciously at the thick flower bushes decorating both sides of the lawn, but doesn’t see Erica’s bright brown fur. So he continues forward, towards the front yard and the fence that cuts the property off from the road. 

Flash of orange runs out of the curiously open front gate, and Stiles frowns momentarily. Technically he’s not supposed to leave the yard without supervision, but if Erica is hiding behind the front fence, it’s not really going out, right? And Erica would be right there.

She’s probably hiding just behind the gate, the sneaky girl, so Stiles doesn’t have to set a single finger out of the lawn. He’d win and wouldn’t even break the rules!

Decision made, he grins furiously, thinking that for once, even if he kind of, just a little, cheated, he’s going to find Erica just as fast as she always finds him.

The wooden gate creaks as he pushes it fully open, slamming against the similar fence beside it. He’s already humming the theme song from  _ Jaws  _ he remembers from his college times, the tune delightfully fitting for the occasion, as he closes in on the wolf.

He crawls forward, the grass changing to cement as he leaves the property, and he looks both sides for Erica. He frowns when he cannot see her right away. She wouldn’t run too far, right? Daddy wouldn’t like it. 

But he’s stubborn, just as she thinks Erica is too, so he sets off to find her. The shrubs surrounding every house are tall and looming, making him just a tad unsure. But it’s a game, and Erica is wise enough not to get into trouble, right?

Not really thinking of repercussions, he starts forward on the direction he thinks she went. His hands get scraped by the tough ground the the sharp pebbles immediately, the fabric of his clothes getting torn from his knees. The longer he keeps going without seeing the wolf, the more miserable he gets. Suddenly the game isn’t so fun anymore. He’s alone and his hands and knees hurt and Erica is  _ dumb  _ for going so far. Games are only great if everyone follows the rules.

He doesn’t notice really where he’s going, looking from side to side instead of in front of him, and so he doesn’t see it when the sidewalk ends and the road begins. There’s a dip when his hands suddenly are no longer touching the cement and he falls face first onto the even rougher ground of traffic and then he hears frantic honking of a car before the vehicle comes to a screeching halt just mere inches from Stiles’ face.

He’s so startled by it that his brain doesn’t register the danger, not until an angry man comes shouting at him where he lies dumbfounded on the ground. Panicked tears well up in his eyes and he tries to scramble away from the man, terrified of his blazing orange eyes, but the sidewalk is just a tiny bit too high for him to get to with his shaking limbs that he doesn’t get too far.

The man roughly grabs at the clothes of his neck and wrenches him up, his anger flushed cheeks and glaring eyes shouting in Stiles’ face, and that’s when the situation catches up with him.

He lets out a scared wail, screaming for his alpha, _ ‘’DADDY !’’ _

It’s not even five seconds later when his daddy is bursting through the gate, running up the sidewalk furiously, his face in beta shift, Alpha eyes blazing angry red. Daddy immediately takes him from the strange wolf, snarling, and it makes Stiles cry harder. 

‘’What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’’ Daddy spits, sheltering Stiles’ head underneath his jaw, cradling him close.

‘’What am  _ I  _ doing? What are  _ you  _ doing? Letting your pet run rampage around the road! I almost killed your stupid little animal because your supervision is lacking!’’

Stiles sobs, clinging to his daddy desperately. Why, why, why did Erica get out of the property? Why did Stiles run to find her when instead he should’ve gone to daddy? It was supposed to be a fun day of playing and now he’s ruined it.

The two wolves keep shouting at each other, neighbors slowly trickling to their windows to see what’s happening. Stiles just keeps crying against daddy’s shoulder, letting the brawl wash over him, wanting to be anywhere but here.

As daddy keeps exchanging harsh words with the stranger, Stiles sees from the corner of his eyes some movement, and catches a sight of the brown fur he’d been following. He opens his mouth to ask Erica why she would go away from the safety of the house, when he realizes that it isn’t Erica at all. 

He’d been following a fox.

Intelligent black eyes watch him carefully underneath a rosebush, the orange and white tail tucked close against the animal’s side. It whips it a couple times back and forth before retreating to the neighbor’s yard, crawling out of sight.

Erica comes trotting from the open gate, her ears set against her skull, whining, slinking closer to the two furious wolves.

Then daddy says something harshly to the other man, snarling, before turning around and going back to the house, motioning the full shift wolf to follow him. She does, her body tense, sensing her alpha’s anger.

Stiles thinks he might be in deep, deep trouble now.

They get back inside in silence, apart from Stiles’ trembling hiccups and sobs, which daddy does soothe away, his hands infinitely gentle, even in his anger. The alpha paces back and forth, comforting Stiles, waiting for the cries to taper off. When they do, Derek goes to the kitchen to get a piece of baby napkins and instructs Stiles to blow his nose. He obeys meekly, still shaking in leftover terror. Then daddy takes the medicine bag and cleans off the scrapes on his hands, washing away the sand and dirt, and putting on something that stings a whole lot, making more tears gather into his eyes. The alpha hums a comfortingly, holding him and offering kisses against his temple.

Then daddy sits down, slumping tiredly against the cushions with Stiles cradled in his lap. He motions for Erica to hop onto the couch as well, tugging her to his side. They sit there in relative silence until daddy has gathered his thoughts.

‘’I’m happy that both of you are alright, with no further injuries than a couple scrapes.’’

Erica whines. Stiles wants to too, but tucks his head against daddy’s neck instead, lips trembling. He senses a very big BUT coming.

‘’But I’m extremely angry at both of you. Erica, it was your duty to supervise Stiles enough that he wouldn’t get outside the fence. I know you love playing hide and seek, and the place you were hiding in didn’t give you clear vision of the yard, but the second you realized Stiles was going to the front of the lawn, you should’ve come out and stopped him. We agreed on it, and I trusted you to guard him. I’m not going to say I’m disappointed, but I am hurt that you thought your own game was more important than the safety of the pack’s pup.  _ My  _ pup.’’

Erica slinks down, baring her throat, whining in apology, and it makes Stiles’ heart break. She’s submitting to him, owning up to her mistakes, and Derek seems to accept it when he places his hand on her throat and squeezes. 

‘’I know you’re sorry. You should be. But I forgive you. You two won’t be playing together without a third person watching over both of you for awhile, but we can, and will, learn from this, and gain back the trust. Okay, Erica?’’

She nods, miserable, and it sounds like she’s crying. Stiles didn’t know wolves could cry, but she sure seems to be doing a good job of showing exactly the contrary. Daddy grabs her by the fur of her neck and shakes her gently like that, like he’s disciplining a disorderly puppy. Then he pets her for a moment before ruffling the fur of her head.

‘’Go on. Go outside and hunt a little to calm down. I need to speak with Stiles, and I don’t think he’d want anyone here for it.’’

Erica nods, rising slowly to lick Derek’s jaw in deference, before slinking off the couch and out of the house. Daddy stills, waiting until she’s enough distance away, and then he turns to Stiles.

Stiles fights back the urge to gulp.

‘’Are you okay?’’ Daddy asks, brushing the hair off of Stiles’ forehead, tracing the tear tracks on his face with his finger. Stiles nods, though it doesn’t ring all that true since all of his emotions are going haywire. But physically, yes, he’s fine.

‘’You really, really scared me today, Stiles,’’ daddy says, and the bleakness returns to his eyes that Stiles saw when daddy thought something had happened to him. ‘’I thought - You almost got - There’s  _ nothing  _ \--’’ the alpha looks away, frustrated, angry.  _ Scared _ .

Stiles is scared too.

Daddy takes a deep breath, his expression hardening. ‘’When you got here the first time, I gave you a set of rules, did I not?’’

Stiles gives a barely above whisper, ‘’Yes, daddy.’’

‘’And you know exactly what rules you broke today, do you? And you know what I said would happen, should you violate those rules?’’

Fresh tears pool into his eyes and drip down his cheeks. He whispers, ‘’You’d spank me daddy.’’ His hands tremble where he’s clutching at the alpha’s shirt.

Daddy’s strong hands come to cover his shaking ones. ‘’That’s right. I did say I would spank you, if you ever did something that endangers your life and your wellbeing. And what you did today, Stiles, that was -- That was -- ‘’

Struggling for words, daddy circles both his arms around Stiles’ body and squeezes. ‘’I cannot lose you, baby. You understand that, right? I will not allow you to die. I swore to protect you, I swore it to you, to my family, to the adoption agency. I would literally burn the world around you to keep you safe. And if that means I have to sometimes protect you from  _ you _ , then dear god, so be it.’’

‘’ ‘M sorry daddy --’’ Stiles sobs, ‘’ ‘m so sorry - -’’

‘’I know,’’ daddy soothes, ‘’ I know you are, love. But you scared me today, Stiles. When I heard you call for me like that, I was beyond terrified. It hurt daddy’s heart so much to think my little baby was hurt or injured or in danger. And then you were at the hands of that despicable man, god, I almost shred - I almost did an act that would not be acceptable.’’

‘’I, I dun want to b’ spanked, daddy. I’m  _ sorry _ , please, daddy -’’ Stiles hiccups, clinging. His chest hurts too, and he doesn’t want daddy to be mad at him anymore. God, he was so so stupid. Of course Erica wouldn’t get out of the property. And even if she did, daddy has taught him time and time again to call for an adult if he’s unsure of  _ anything _ . It’s his fault, he thinks, and he doesn’t know how to fix it, how to right the wrongs. He just wants daddy happy again.

Daddy sighs sadly. ‘’You know I have to, Stiles.’’

‘’ ‘s gonna hurt,’’ Stiles whimpers. 

Derek hums in sympathy. ‘’Yes,’’ he agrees, ‘’It will hurt. It will hurt a lot, because it’s supposed to. But baby, I need to do this. For both of our sakes. Unless I give you your punishment, neither you nor I will be able to get past this. But if you accept your punishment, if you take it like a good boy, I swear to you, there will be completely clean slate. Everything will be forgiven.’’

‘’ D-duh-daddy won’ be mad no mo’?’’ he blubbers miserably.

Daddy smiles at him gently. ‘’Daddy promises. I will forgive you for running off, no matter how good intentions you had for it, and won’t ever mention it again. We’ll put on a bath and daddy will read you a naptime story, and then, when the pack comes home for dinner, we’ll grill some smores and daddy will play with you with your lego blocks.’’

Stiles lets out a shuddering breath, relaxing. If daddy says something will be forgiven and forgotten, he means it. It will hurt a lot, he thinks, and he’s a lot scared of it, but it  _ is  _ daddy doling the punishment. And he trusts daddy. And he’ll get a bath time and naptime story and probably cuddles afterwards, so for daddy’s sake he’ll endure it.

A small part of his heart is relieved that daddy will actually punish him. There’s a heavy icy ball in the pit of his stomach. His emotions are a jumbled mess, flooring him with feelings of guilt and shame and grief and terror, and if a red bottom will clean all of that away, then he’ll gladly take it.

‘’Daddy will cuddle you with a little while before your punishment,’’ the alpha says kindly. ‘’You did go through a traumatic event, after all. We’ll get something warm in your tummy, change your diapers and have a good, cleansing bath, and then just before nap, we’ll get the yucky spankings away, okay?’’

‘’ ‘kay,’’ Stiles murmurs. He’s exhausted now, and some cuddles sound just perfect.

‘’I love you,’’ daddy says, and some of the warmth that had escaped Stiles’ heart returns at the tender words. He’s helpless to do anything but to return the sentiment.

  
  


****

  
  


After daddy has wiped him clean after he uses the diaper, Stiles gets placed on his tummy over daddy’s strong thighs. Derek is sitting in the middle of the guestroom bed, his back resting against the headboard, Stiles draped over his legs. 

The tears that had dried off an hour and a half ago return, but this time he welcomes them. He knows daddy won’t cry about the accident today, so Stiles decides that he’s going to do it for the both of them. He knows he won’t be able to hold them back, so why even try?

He shivers when daddy’s hand comes to caress the naked curve of his bottom.

‘’Are you ready?’’

Nodding, Stiles whispers one more time, ‘’I’m sorry.’’

Daddy squeezes the same cheek and says, ‘’Me too,’’ and then he lifts his hand.

The first spank isn’t that bad. To be honest, Stiles had thought the hit would be a lot stronger. He’s startled by it, but it doesn’t hurt, not really. Daddy caresses the hit spot a little before offering the same treatment to the other cheek. He thinks he might even get off easy.

Thankfully, daddy hadn’t made him count the spanks. Because he’s ready to eat his own words not five minutes into the spanking. The force of the alpha’s hits doesn’t change, but after a moment, getting spanked on the same spot makes it sore really fast. He flinches every time. The tears are streaming down his face as daddy peppers his cheeks with relentless smacks, covering the entirety of his bottom, and, to Stiles’ horror, the soft meat of the backs of his thighs. 

He’s pretty sure his butt is already the shade of a ripe apple, and he winces the longer it goes on. The sorer his skin gets, the more his legs start trashing. He doesn’t mean to, and he tries to force himself to be still and just take it, but it just hurts so much.

‘’I’m sorry!’’ he wails, after a smack to a really tender spot.

‘’I know,’’ daddy says. ‘’You should be. A little bit more, baby. Then we’ll be done.’’

Stiles nods, crying, and buries his face into the mattress. He sobs and shrieks, fisting the poor sheets tightly. The worst part is that daddy is eternally patient, and when the movement of Stiles’ legs dislodges him from daddy’s thighs, the alpha waits until Stiles has settled again before continuing.

As he keeps sobbing, pleading his _daddy to stop, he’ll be so good, he_ _promises_ , the miserable feeling in his chest evaporates with each smack of daddy’s broad palm. The difference is like between a night and a day. Almost like the tears are his wretched emotions, and the more he cries, the lighter he gets, the more the guilt and fear and sadness gets smacked out of him.

With a last echoing spank against his buttocks, Stiles wails, wet and sorrowful. Daddy immediately yanks him upwards to sit in his lap, embracing him, telling him  _ what a good boy he is, how well he took his punishment, and shh, everything’s okay now, it is forgiven and forgotten, daddy is so proud of his perfect little boy. _

It makes Stiles relax in the alpha’s hold, his crying taking on a different note, relief pouring out with every hiccup. His bottom feels like it’s on fire but dear god, his chest is so light and warm with affection and love for his daddy. 

‘’That’s it, baby. Let it out. You’re okay now. Everything’s forgiven. Daddy loves you so much, little cub. I’m so proud of you. Shh, it’s alright now. Such a good boy. My good little boy.’’

It takes awhile before he calms down, and then he starts shivering. Daddy drapes a thick blanket over him before cuddling him close, soothing him, rubbing at his back and his bottom. Stiles thinks it should probably hurt a lot more when daddy touches the places he just hit hard and long enough to redden to a tomato hue, but instead he just feels good and cared for. It’s the endorphins, daddy tells him, but much of the words go over Stiles’ head, so he just focuses on smelling his daddy’s spicy, masculine scent. How does the wolf just smell so good?

Something nudges at his lips and he blinks his eyes blearily open. Daddy smiles down at him, and Stiles sees the nub of his bottle. He takes it into his mouth, drinking the juice greedily. 

‘’There you go,’’ the alpha says gently. ‘’Nice and slow now, Stiles. Nice and slow. Good boy.’’

When he’s done, daddy puts the bottle onto the bedside table. He gets up and Stiles makes a weak sound of protest, making daddy chuckle.

‘’Just two minutes, love. I’ll go get you a fresh diaper and your storybook so we can have naptime. Just close your eyes. I’ll be right back.’’

Stiles obeys easily, dozing lightly even when daddy comes back and puts on a dry diaper on him. He doesn’t get his naptime jammies, but he doesn’t really mind. He rouses back to hear parts of the story, just because daddy is actually reading him one, but falls asleep pretty fast with daddy’s rumble against his ear.

He sleeps for two hours with daddy sleeping by his side, and only knows of it, because a couple days later uncle Peter shows him a picture of the two of them napping on Boyd’s guest room bed, the backs of Stiles’ thighs visibly pinkened, and daddy has his arms protectively wrapped around Stiles’ torso.

Two weeks later the same pictures hangs from their fridge, and Stiles can’t help but look at it every time he passes by. It makes him smile happily, despite the reminder of the punishment, or perhaps  _ because  _ of it, because now he knows he can fully trust his whole being, body and mind and all to daddy’s caring, protective hands. Because Stiles can see it from his own face, how peaceful he looks with daddy right next to him.

His daddy has given him  _ so much,  _ he can hardly wait for what’s more to come in their future.

 

****

* * *

  
  


 

One monday afternoon Boyd takes him to a bookstore. They browse the children’s section for two whole hours, going up and down the rows, and Stiles gets to select five whole books. 

Two of the books he chooses contain information about dinosaurs. Much to everyone’s (nobody’s) shock. The three others are storybooks, one of them called  _ ‘Narnia’  _ that Stiles vaguely remembers from his human life, and when daddy starts to read parts of it to him, he weeps the first time. Not because he’s sad, necessarily, but because he recognizes some of it and it sparks a good memory of his past. Though he still prefers that daddy read it, creating new, better memories on top of the old ones.

He also picks up a game called  _ ‘Twister’  _ from the shelf nearby, and when Boyd cocks an eyebrow in askance, Stiles just blinks at him innocently.

He gets the game too. 

(And loses almost every single time they play, but it usually leads to more fun activities, so he doesn’t really mind.)

Boyd carries him around much like daddy and uncle do, but Stiles still feels a little reserved around the other members of the pack, so he doesn’t quite get as comfortable as he does with daddy. But he still has fun. Boyd is great company, despite his quietness, and it’s such a vivid contrast between the two of them that it makes them click in surprising ways.

The next time Boyd leaves for town alone, he asks the alpha if he can take Stiles too. When he gets the consent, Stiles nearly falls in his haste to get to the door so Boyd doesn’t leave without him.

Whenever he comes back from impromptu trips with Boyd, daddy always says he’s proud of Stiles, but at the same time, his heart aches at the fact that his baby boy can leave the house without daddy’s company and safety.

Stiles takes all of it in a stride, because when he comes back smelling of other wolves, daddy usually likes to take his time in making sure that at the end of the night, Stiles will be smelling of nothing but daddy. And  _ that  _ promises hot pleasure that seems to go on infinitely, with vibrators and the alpha’s slick hands covering his cock and nipples and all of his skin, and it makes Stiles feel so cherished. And really, really sated.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Stiles sits in front of their backyard door, staring out of the almost full door window. Overnight, the grass and the trees and the fence has been coated in a layer of white. The white is still softly and slowly falling onto the ground, swirling, almost dancing in the wind before flakes of them land. The house is quiet, and everything feels rather serene.

‘’Beautiful, isn’t it?’’ uncle asks, sitting right next to Stiles’ diaper clad butt. Stiles had actually sneaked away from daddy when the alpha went upstairs to get some clothes to him, and his initial thought was to hide and jump out on the alpha just to make daddy laugh, but the sight of their backyard had forced him to just stop and gaze into the white wonderland. He nods in a lieu of an answer.

‘’It rarely snows in these areas, but it happens every couple years. It usually shuts down the entire county, with buses and schools and supermarkets staying closed. I used to have friends in northern countries like Sweden and Norway, and whenever I explained that just a thin layer of snow would bring the entire town into chaos, they’d just laugh incredulously and say that even if it snowed two feet of snow in their countries, everything would still be open, and everyone needed to go to work and school and such.’’

Stiles turns his huge eyes towards Peter. ‘’Daddy and uncle no adult stuff today?’’

‘’Nope,’’ the man answers. ‘’We can dedicate the whole day for lazing around. What does pup want to do today?’’

Scrunching up his brows, Stiles thinks, hard. He’s never seen snow before. He has no idea what it will feel like, but in movies, like Frozen, making a snow man seemed so much fun. It looks soft. ‘’We can play outside?’’

‘’Sure,’’ uncle smirks. ‘’We can team up against our alpha and give him the famous Hale snow wash.’’

‘’Snow wash?’’ Stiles asks, and Peter winks at him. 

‘’I’ll explain it to you later. Daddy’s coming.’’

Just seconds later does daddy emerge from the other room, carrying Stiles’ clothes with him. 

‘’There you are,’’ daddy says. ‘’What are you two conspiring in here?’’

‘’Daddy,’’ Stiles says, blinking up at the alpha, ‘’Uncle Peter says to give you a snow wash but I don’t know what snow is?’’

‘’Peter,’’ daddy grumbles, just as uncle sighs a  _ ‘betrayed by my own family, no less’ _ , and the alpha hoists Stiles up into his arms. He points to the outside at large. ‘’That, dear, all of that is snow.’’

Stiles rolls his eyes and says impatiently, ‘’I know that, daddy, but what  _ is  _ it?’’ 

Derek huffs a laugh. ‘’All of that white stuff on the ground is water particles that have frozen into ice as the temperature drops.’’

Stiles’ eyes widen. ‘’So it’s  _ cold _ ?’’

‘’Very much so. And wet too. We can go play outside for awhile, but when you roll around in the snow long enough, your clothes get wet since your own body temperature is hotter than the snow, so when you come in contact with it, it starts immediately melting.’’

Frowning, Stiles stares outside some more. ‘’But if I touches it, and it melts away, how do I make a snow man?’’

‘’Well, after we eat, how about daddy and uncle just show you? I don’t think hearing the technicalities of it will do you any good in this situation.’’

‘’ ‘kay,’’ Stiles agrees, wiggling his legs as Derek carries him to be changed. ‘’I still don’t understand what uncle meant by snow washing, tho.’’

‘’Daddy will demonstrate about that on uncle, don’t worry about it,’’ the alpha smirks, making Peter sniff haughtily and flash his eyes. ‘’I’d like to see you try, nephew.’’

Derek grins. ‘’Oh, I don’t even have to try.’’

Stiles frowns at his uncle. ‘’Keeping clean is important, unca Peter. If daddy says you have to snow wash stink away, then we snow wash.’’

Peter closes his eyes and brings his hand to cover his face, his expression amusedly pained. Daddy snorts. ‘’Out of a child’s mouth comes nothing but truth.’’

‘’We really will see about that,’’ Peter says menacingly, but Stiles knows his uncle doesn’t mean it. His eyes crinkle too much with mirth to really be upset.

Though they don’t manage to go outside, not until well after dinner, because daddy had to work after all because he works from home most of the time, and uncle Peter didn’t want to deprive Derek from the opportunity to teach Stiles about snow and winter. So Stiles waits patiently, playing with his toys, napping, and sitting right there where uncle found him that morning.

  
  


It turns out ‘snow washing’ isn’t at all what Stiles thought it to be. It seems a lot more violent, for starters, and it isn’t lugged inside to the bathtub to be used as a bath water. And as he dips his mitten covered hand into the white stuff, he realizes just _ how cold _ it really is for him to feel it through the thick layer of fabric. He  _ loves  _ it. But he does not want the snow inside his thick overalls. Uncle doesn’t seem to appreciate it inside his jacket either, if the angry growling is anything to go by.

As the two adults wrestle close by, Stiles explores the density of the snow. He discovers he can make a ball out of it, but if he doesn’t tamp the ice together firmly, the ball will crumble soon as it drops from his hands. His legs don’t really carry him at the moment, but that’s fine. He can crawl around. The overalls make sure he doesn’t get any uninvited slips of ice inside his clothes, and he can roll the snowballs against the ground so that it grows bigger. He crows in delight that the movies were right at something at least!

He makes tiny little balls and frowns in concentration as he piles exactly three balls on top of each other, much like Olaf, to make a tiny army of snowmen. He has to dig around the blanket of ice a little to find the right size and shape rocks for his dudes. Sticks are a little easier, as he just picks one big fallen tree branch and rips out stick that will play as hands.

It’s a lot of fun. When he has ten mini snowmen done, he starts building a castle for them. At first it just looks like a blob of snow, with green and brown stripes on it from the earth, but he digs and carves out doors and a couple windows, makes two little towers too, and then it looks a little more homey.

Daddy and uncle come see what he’s doing after a while, both of them seemingly soaked from top to bottom, their cheeks ruby red and eyes sparkling with happiness. It makes Stiles grin giddily at them, and he shows the wolves his art. They both coo at his work, offering to help out. Derek even goes as far as to get Stiles’ sandbox toys, the plastic spade just perfect at tamping the crumbling snow back into its place.

Together they create an even bigger castle, with a moat surrounding it, and a opening and closing port-bridge right in the center of it. Peter gets his moon stones that he’s saved since childhood, decorating the walls with them, much like the jewels in Stiles’ crown. 

‘’A castle worthy of its king,’’ Peter remarks, after he’s done circling the building, and daddy nods. Stiles makes a tiny crown for one of the snowmen, sticking tiny brown leaves from the syringa shrubs all over its head. 

When they’re finally done, the sun has dipped into the horizon line, all of them wet and cold, Stiles’ teeth clattering together. He sighs with content when daddy brings out a couple electric candles from inside the house and lights them up, stuffing them into the two towers. It looks amazing in the darkening night, like lighthouses guiding the lost home.

Daddy takes a picture of the three of them, though the pictures turn out a little too dark, but everyone can see the happiness exuding from all of them.

Afterwards, daddy takes a hot bath with Stiles. He gets dressed in warm, soft clothes with woollen socks. Daddy treats him to a hot chocolate instead of his regular milk, and both of them doze off in front of the TV where old cartoons play near inaudibly. Peter is making food for the adults, the clink and clacks coming from the kitchen soothing in their own way. Stiles gazes at daddy’s peaceful face, drinking his chocolate milk slowly. Derek notices, because of course he does, and his warm hands come to rub at Stiles’ belly. 

It’s so domestic and warm and cliched that Stiles can do nothing but grin maniacally into his bottle. He’d never dreamed of getting any of this, and now he’s getting even more than he ever could’ve asked for.

How can he ever thank Mother Moon enough for this blessing she has offered him?

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Stiles wakes up gradually, a gentle voice coaxing him into awareness. A warm hand is softly caressing his cheek, tracing the curve of his jaw. He blinks, slowly, the blurry figure standing over his crib sharpening into daddy.

“Good morning,” daddy murmurs. “Is my sleepy boy awake yet?”

“Nn,” Stiles stretches, squeezing his eyes shut. He shakes his head sleepily, giving a long exhale before letting his body go lax. Daddy makes an amused sound, his hand continuing its ministrations.

Stiles smacks his lips, slumber clinging to his consciousness, trying to draw him back under. Daddy seems to be in no hurry, staying quiet as his fingers come up to brush Stiles’ unruly hair. Stiles revels in it, his breathing becoming slower.

“Stiles,” daddy cajoles gently, “you have to wake up, pup. We’ve got a long day ahead.”

Making a grumpy sound, Stiles furrows his brows. He  _ really _ doesn’t want to get up from the warm cocoon of his crib, too tired to even consider opening his eyes. The trip to the mall yesterday squeezed all the juices out of him. They had spent an entire day there, uncle Peter and him and daddy and Boyd and Isaac. They’d shopped and eaten and they’d played so much that when they finally got home, daddy didn’t even insist on a bath, but dropped into bed after putting Stiles in his crib. Usually daddy  _ always  _ complains how he doesn’t want anyone’s stink in their den after a day in the outside world, but this time it seemed even daddy was too exhausted to do anything but go to sleep.

Stiles had been out like a light already on the drive home. He’d never been in a ball pit, and he may have gotten his heart beating like a hummingbird in his excitement, all of the wolves around him sending frequently concerned glances towards his direction. He’d seen his own face in one of the mirrors underneath the really cool slide in the pit, and his cheeks had been ruby red and his eyes shining brightly, happiness like no other evident in every detail of his being. 

Because Stiles  _ is  _ happy. Extremely, undeniably happy. All thanks to daddy.

“Daddy,” he mumbles, sighing, before he raises his arms up towards the wolf. He keeps his eyes shut as daddy lifts him up and carries him to the changing table.

“Daddy has a surprise for you,” the wolf says, stripping Stiles from his onesie.

Stiles squints one eye open towards him. He points a finger towards his own chest in question.

“Uh-huh,” daddy nods, smiling. “Just for you, I know Santa Claus usually brings all the presents to good little boys like Stiles underneath the Christmas tree on the 24th, but a little elf came by this morning, delivering a package just for you.”

Daddy quickly changes the diaper into a fresh one, but doesn’t put new clothes on Stiles. Instead he hoists him in his arms and goes downstairs. The house is quiet, uncle probably still sleeping. The lights from the christmas tree gently illuminate the entire living room in soft orange light, making everything almost magically hazy to Stiles’ sleepy, blurry eyes.

They’d dedicated an entire day into decorating the house in festive attire, crafted snowflakes from white pieces of paper, put up the christmas tree and its ornaments, changing the curtains into red and even tied a fake mistletoe up the entrance of the kitchen. Stiles usually gets all the kisses. He doesn’t mind though. He’s still so greedy of affection and since it’s doled out so easily, he grabs at all he can get.

There’s a single rectangular present underneath the decorated spruce, wrapped in silver and gold. Daddy has put on soft music on the background, swaying gently in tune with them.

‘’Merry christmas, Stiles,’’ daddy murmurs as he sits down on the floor, right in front of the tree. The present glitters in the fairy lights, Stiles staring at it almost mesmerized. He turns to his daddy and plants a smooch on his daddy’s jaw, returning the softly spoken greeting. ‘’Merry christmas, daddy.’’

Daddy offers him a easy smile full of affection, and kisses Stiles on the mouth. ‘’Love you, cub.’’

‘’Love you, daddy. Lots and lots!’’

Stiles wiggles a little in the alpha’s lap, reaching for his gift. It’s soft when he lifts it up, the perfect rectangular crumbling. He cocks his head and shakes the package, just to see his daddy grin and shake his head. He isn’t disappointed.

‘’Just open it up, pup,’’ the man chuckles, squeezing him from the middle. Stiles grins too and tears into the present. He’s sad to see the shiny cover peel away, and if nobody throws the wrapping paper to the trash, he intends to make it into a treasure his dinosaurs can find.

When he finally sees what’s inside, he freezes. In his palms is the softest material he’s ever had the opportunity to lay his hands on, warmth seeping in the tip of his fingers from just holding the fabric. His mouth falls open and he looks at his daddy in shock and amazement.

‘’Daddy, is this- is it -’’

‘’Yeah,’’ daddy says, happiness radiating off of him in waves. ‘’I think it just might be.’’

Stiles scrambles to unfold the fabric, almost weeping in joy. It’s the onesie! That specific one he saw at the mall during his first weeks of staying with daddy, pastel purple stripes with white ones, the one that wouldn’t fit him because it was made for newborn babies in human society.

Stiles hugs it to his chest, collapsing against daddy’s front and laughs, giddy and excited. ‘’Daddy,’’ he wheezes, ‘’I love love love you so so so much, daddy! So so so much!’’

He turns in the alpha’s hold and throws his arms around the wolf, embracing his daddy with all his might. Derek returns the hug just as fiercely, scenting and nuzzling Stiles’ neck. 

The ruckus draws Peter into the room as well, the wolf rubbing tiredly at his eyes. His hair is up on one side and down on the other, pillow creases visible on one cheek. ‘’Wh’t ‘n the world ‘s hapen’?’’

‘’I have the bestest daddy in the whole big world!’’ Stiles rejoices, eyes sparkling in time with the christmas lights. It makes daddy laugh, the alpha hiding his face in Stiles’ chest as he wiggles up and around in daddy’s embrace.

‘’Oh?’’ Peter asks, sitting down on the floor with them, drawing Derek into a sideways hug, joining the extempore cuddle fest. Stiles nods enthusiastically. ‘’Lookit uncle! So pretty! For babies like me!’’

Peter takes the onesie Stiles so reverently presents him and studies it with a critical eye. Then his mouth curves up into a huge smile and he nods in approval.  _ ‘’Perfect  _ babies, just like you.’’

Bashful, Stiles lowers his eyes and bites his lip. It makes his uncle ooh and aah at his shyness, pinching his cheek.

‘’You are perfect, baby boy,’’ daddy murmurs, lifting his head up to look into Stiles’ eyes. ‘’For me, you will always be perfect. Mistakes and accidents and all.’’

Happy tears prick at Stiles’ eyes and he sniffs a little. ‘’You won’t give me away, ever?’’

‘’Never, ever, ever, ever. Not even in my last breath. You will always be mine, Stiles. To eternity and beyond,’’ Daddy says softly, pressing a kiss onto Stiles’ jugular.

‘’I will be daddy’s forever and ever and ever and ever. And ever!’’

The faces of his family illuminated in the christmas lights, Stiles’ chest fills with so many emotions of love that for a moment, it almost feels like he might burst from all of them. But then daddy hugs him closer, pulling him down back to sitting in his lap, hiding Stiles’ face into his neck, and uncle Peter’s arm wraps around both of them, offering another protective layer of love around them, and Stiles thinks that forever doesn’t sound all that bad.

Not with a family like this.

  
  
  
  


END.  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! It is done! Thank you so much for everyone for your endless support. Without you guys, I would not have written half of what I have so far. 
> 
> For those of you who feel sad that this AU has come to an end, I'm pleased to inform you that I have two sequels drafted for this. I hope I'll see some of you readers in the future as well!
> 
> Here I bow down and take my exit to start properly writing the sequels. Smooches to all of you!

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone wondering about Peter's human pet, it's Kate. I won't include her in this AU for more than a mention, but if I do have the time to write it, I might add an sequel where you get to see how life goes in the Hale house with the addition of Kate being let out of her cage.
> 
> Also, Kate's pet status is forced and definitely not consensual, so that's why I didn't include it in this one. 
> 
> Thanks for reading !


End file.
